Parenting at Hogwarts
by KittyKat1324
Summary: It was just supposed to be a class. Nothing was real, and they were just pretending to be a married couple- for their fake child. But when things become more real, problems arise and the Gryffindor Princess and Slytherin Prince are left raising a child for a class they never wanted. [no war or Voldemort] HG/ DM GW/BZ RW/ LB PP/HP LL/TN M for language, violence, & adult themes
1. Chapter 1

"Bloody hell!" Harry choked on his pumpkin juice as he stared at the Daily Prophet. "Ron, 'Mione, look!" he croaked out between coughs.

Hermione frowned and glanced over to see what had her best friend all wound up. Her honey eyes scanned the Daily Prophet, widening with every word she read. She nearly choked on her own spit from the shock. "Impossible!"

 **BABIES AT HOGWARTS**

 _On July 16th, Albus_ _Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, announced that there will be a new mandatory parenting class for all incoming seventh year students. Sixth year students will be allowed to take the class earlier, and will not have to take it in the following year. Students involved will be matched with a significant other, and undergo a simulation in which the female counterpart will be 'pregnant.' It has been said that a child will indeed be created with the DNA of the two students, but will not be real. The children produced in the class will grow at a rapid rate, and will disappear once the year is over. Turn to page 3 for further information..._

"Harry, this is mad," Hermione said, appalled.

Ron, who was still eating, gave his two best friends a quizzical look. "Wha?" he asked with his mouth full.

Hermione grimaced and scrunched up her nose. "Ronald, don't speak with food in your mouth," she scolded. "Dumbledore has gone mad. There's a new mandatory parenting class," Hermione added to answer his question.

Ron's blue eyes widened and he swallowed his food quickly. He snatched the Daily Prophet out of Harry's hands from across the table. He stared bug-eyed at the news with disbelief written clearly on his face.

"Ginny! Come look at this!" he called out.

A few moments later, his sister came strolling down the stairs with an annoyed look. "What is it, Ron? This better be important."

Ron rolled his eyes at the younger witch and waved the Daily Prophet at her. "Have a read at this."

Everyone watched as her expression morphed into one of shock, just like everyone else's. She shook her head and snorted. "This isn't a funny joke."

"It's not a joke, Ginny!" Harry said.

The red haired witch turned to Hermione with questioning eyes. She was hoping that the curly haired brunette would say that Harry was merely trying to get her knickers in a twist.

"It's true, Gin," Hermione said softly.

Ginny shook her head and ran her hand through her fiery red hair. She sat down at the table next to Hermione and tossed the papers in her hand towards Ron. She and Hermione shared a look, and seemed to be having a silent conversation. Hermione raised her eyebrows to which Ginny shrugged.

"I'm not sure if I'd like taking the class this year. Who knows who I'd be paired with," Ginny said.

"Please, Gin. I'd be nice to have you with me through this," Hermione pleaded. "Wouldn't it be better to take it now and have it over with rather than later?"

Ginny pursed her lips and thought about it. "I suppose," she muttered. "Just wait till Mum hears word of this though."

* * *

"Draco, darling have you read this nonsense?" Narcissa asked her son. She held the Daily Prophet between her thumb and forefinger, away from her body, as if it was dirty and infectious.

The platinum haired boy shook his head and grabbed the papers from his mother. His quicksilver eyes read through it. An incredulous look was plastered on Draco's face and he crumpled the paper in his hands. "Bullocks!" he swore, only to receive a narrowed look from his mother.

"What's bullocks?" asked a deep voice. Lucius Malfoy walked into the dining room and sat in his seat at the head of the table. He pulled out his wand and with a flick of his wrist, the papers in Draco's hands straightened out and flew over to him. Lucius read through the Daily Prophet only to have the same reaction as his son and wife. "That old loon as surely gone mad now!" Lucius hissed.

"Oh, I hope you're not paired with a Hufflepuff or Gryffindor," Narcissa murmured.

Draco nodded in agreement. Suddenly there's a knock and Twinkle, a house elf, came running into the room with her head down. "Master Malfoy, Master Zabini is here to see young Master Malfoy." Draco walked out of the dinning room and towards the parlor to see his Italian friend sitting on an armchair.

"I take it you've seen the Prophet?" Draco drawled.

Blaise nodded and smirked. "Pansy hounded me all morning once she saw. Nearly talked my ears off, she did. She wants to be partnered with one of us." He shook his head at the memory of the angry brunette. "That woman is mad, Drake. All of her hopes and fantasies come true if you're stuck with her."

Draco shuddered at the thought. Pansy was a close friend, but that's all he saw her as. Her several advances towards him over the years were annoying and childish in his eyes. He couldn't stand the thought of having a child (fake or not) wth her.

"Blimey, who knows what will happens if she sinks her claws into me? That woman will be picturing weddings and baby showers before we even start the blasted class," Draco groaned.

"Dumbledore has gone bonkers. This class only proves it," Blaise said. "How much of the article did you read?"

"Only the front page. Why?" Draco asked, sitting down in a chair across from his friend.

"I figured as much," Blaise muttered under his breath. "There's a lot of nonsense afterwards, but it mentioned that the living quarters will change. The 'families' will be living in dorms and share common rooms. All of the families will be like this, except the Head Boy and Girl. Those two will be paired together and live in their own personal quarters."

Draco's blood ran cold. "By default, the Head Boy and Girl are together?"

Blaise nodded. "It makes sense. The two role models of the school should be compatible." A smirk graced the Italian's face. "And you, Drake, is this year's Head Boy. Must I remind you about the bushy haired Head Girl?"

Horror crossed Draco's face and he stood up in alarm. "Blaise this better not be a bloody joke of yours!" He couldn't be stuck with _her_. She stood against everything he was brought up with. Not only was she a Gryffindor, but a muggle-born as well.

Blaise held his hands up and shook his head. He didn't even try to stifle his laughter at Draco's reaction. "I'm telling the truth, mate. You and the Gryffindor Princess are stuck together."

* * *

"This is bloody mad," Neville said. He leaned back in his seat and ran his hand through his hair. "'Mione, you must feel even worse about this."

Hermione frowned at her friend. "Excuse me?" Hermione placed the pitcher of lemonade onto the table and stood in front of Neville with a confused look. Ron immediately grabbed the pitcher and poured himself a glass, muttering a thank you to the witch.

Neville raised an eyebrow at the witch. He handed the copy of the Daily Prophet to Hermione. "Read page three, Hermione," he told her sympathetically.

The witch grabbed the paper and flipped to page three. "Living quarters...Head Boy and Head Girl..." she mumbled, skipping over a few words. "No," Hermione whispered after she was done. She shook her head and shoved the Daily Prophet back at Neville. Her head spun at the thought of _him,_ the platinum haired Slytherin that has made her life miserable. He rivaled her in all of their studies, and loved to gloat when he bested her in a subject. Worst of all, he seemed to flaunt his money and blood-status everywhere he went. The word _Mudblood_ was always used when he referred to her.

Hermione didn't realize that she was shaking until she felt arms being wrapped around her. A familiar musky scent filled her senses. _Harry._ "It's just a class, Hermione. None of it will be real," Harry whispered softly.

"I'll have to live with him, Harry," she whispered back.

Harry rubbed her back soothingly. "He won't hurt you. I'll make sure of it."

"'Oo on't 'urt 'Mi-on-e?" Ron asked between bites of his food. He washed down the food with the lemonade after the disdainful look Hermione sent him. "Pardon," he muttered with a small boyish smile. "Now what's this talk about some bloke? Do I have to beat the arse?"

The corners of Hermione's lips twitched up into a smile. "No, Ron. Not yet, anyways." She remembered the time when she used to picture the two of them together. She always had a crush on the mindless fool, but after it became obvious that he wasn't interested, she gave up. Having a boyfriend seemed to drift into the back of her mind since school became top priority. "And it's Malfoy. I'm paired with him for the parenting class."

Ron spewed out the lemonade in his mouth and began to laugh boisterously. "For a moment, it sounded like you said Malfoy!" he chortled. He began to laugh so hard that tears formed in his eyes. He couldn't believe that Hermione would be stuck with a stuck up Slytherin. Hermione was Hermione after all, and she deserved a lot more than _Malfoy_.

"Ronald!" Ginny hissed at her brother before punching his arm. "She's serious."

Ron's laughter died down and he shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "That prat can not possibly be with 'Mione!"

Luna hummed from her seat next to Neville. "I suppose it is a valid choice. You two do compliment each other," she said in a far away voice. She swayed slightly in her seat. "Perhaps this can be good."

Hermione wanted to agree with the blonde, but Luna seemed to be forgetting all of the horrible things Malfoy has done to all of them. "Perhaps..." she muttered, leaning against Harry for support.

"There are far worse choices," Ginny tried to reason, hoping to make light of the conversation like Luna. "He's not sore on the eyes, that's for sure. And he's brilliant like you." She smiled at Hermione, who slowly nodded in response.

The red haired witch was correct. Draco Malfoy was one of the most eligible bachelors in and out of Hogwarts. He had grown out of his lanky boyish body and matured (physically at least.) He practically oozed sex appeal. All of his qudditch practice seemed to come to good use. His hair was no longer slicked back, but cut shorter and left in an attractive mess. His pale skin finally grew some color, and drew taut against muscles he never had in his previous years. When Hermione had saw him over the summer in Diagon Alley, she couldn't believe her eyes. Draco Malfoy looked like a _man_.

"You would have cute babies," Luna added with a giggle.

Ron spewed out his drink again and swore under his breath. "Bloody hell. Enough about Draco Sodding Malfoy!"

"But it's true," Luna continued, oblivious to everyone's discomfort to the topic. "A girl with your hair and Malfoy's eyes would be gorgeous, though any child is beautiful."

"I think that's enough, Luna," Neville muttered.

The blonde ignored him. "Or with his blonde hair and your curls, with his eyes. Or your hair and eyes. Your nose will be better than Malfoy's. His is much to pointy for a child."

Ginny laughed at this, but Hermione merely flushed with discomfort and embarrassment. "Err..okay," Hermione said.

"Oh what if you actually do get married? Though you'd have to date first. Would Malfoy be a good boyfriend?"

" _Enough_ , Luna!" Ron snapped. "Enough about Malfoy!"

Luna frowned, unsure of what she did wrong. "I wonder if he's any good in bed..."

 **A/N Hey! I'm back. I've been gone for awhile, and I'm sorry. I hope you guys liked the chapter! Sorry for any errors! Anyways... I'm already working of the second chapter.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **~KittyKat**


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione was a gorgeous witch. Her hair was no longer a bushy mess, though many people still referred her hair as one. No one knew how to tell the witch how beautiful she truly was. Her caramel colored hair cascaded down her shoulders and ended an inch above her elbows. She was still thin, though not shaped like a twig. Instead she had soft curves in all of the right places. She was radiant, and light always shown in her honey eyes.

"You look brilliant," Ginny squealed.

"I look like a slag," Hermione corrected. She wore a simple black dress that ended a few inches below her bum. It was strapless with a corset lined with silver and flowed out like silk the rest of the way through. Unfortunately for her, she also wore strappy black heels that helped out with her petite frame. She was a whole four inches taller than usual.

Ginny wore a deep dark red dress similar to Hermione's only it was lined with black. She had on matching heels that made her legs look longer than they already were, and stood a few inches taller than normal. "Oh, 'Mione, you do not look at all like a slag. And if you did, you'd be the classiest slag I've ever laid eyes on."

The two witches giggled at that. They had planned to go out and spend time away from the rest of the family. It would just be a girls' night. Luna was supposed to join them, but had canceled last minute. The blonde had claimed that there was a sighting of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack, and she needed to go after it. Hermione was slightly relieved though. She wanted to have a night without Luna talking about _Malfoy_. The other day, Luna tried to get an interview from Hermione on the topic for the Quibbler. In Luna's place, Lavender Brown and the Patil sisters agreed joined them for the night.

"Must we bring Lavender?" Hermione asked. "She can be a nice girl, but...her obsession with Ron is a bit..."

"Revolting?" Ginny offered.

"Definitely revolting."

"It felt rude not to include her," Ginny shrugged. "Let's get on with it though. We'll be late if we don't go now."

The two of them used the Floo Network to get to _Roar_ , an underground club many Hogwarts students went to. It hadn't been discovered until some Slytherins began inviting more people. Eventually fourth to seventh year students began going there. The club was harmless in the eyes of the students. No laws were broken in _Roar_ , and it was a good place to commit stupid acts.

When the two girls stepped out of the fireplace, to see a nearly vacant room. It smelled musty and old, with nothing but a door across the fireplace. "Finally!" said an exasperated voice. Lavender Brown glared at the witches. Beside her were the Patil sisters.

"Sorry," Hermione said unapologetically.

"Let's just go," Padma offered.

They walked towards the door and opened it to see nothing but a dark room. Once they stepped inside though, the room became something completely different. As they walked into _Roar_ , loud music and tacky strobe lights surrounded them, as well as dancing students. It was a Friday night, which meant the place was packed. Ginny grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her through the sea of sweaty bodies, with Lavender, Padma, and Parvati in tow. Once they found a small gap to fill, Ginny began to dance with ease, shaking her hips to the rhythm of the music. She took Hermione's hand and gave her a twirl, before taking both of her hands and forcing the brunette to move.

Hermione had to admit that she felt uncomfortable. She wasn't used to dancing to the kind of music that was playing. The last time she actually danced in front of people, it was at the Yule Ball. But Hermione was set on having fun. So like the rest of the witches and wizards there, she shook her hips from side to side.

Unbeknownst to them, they had captured the attention of several boys.

* * *

Draco did not expect to find the Gryffindor Princess at _Roar_ , more or less dancing in such a short dress. He had to admit that she looked magnificent while she moved with the music. Her hair was down and framed her face perfectly. She looked carefree, unlike the uptight witch he usually saw her as.

"It seems like some kittens have shown up to the party," Theodore Nott mused. He took a sip of his butterbeer. His eyes raked over the beautiful girls dancing not far from the bar in the middle of the club. "What do you think, Blaise? Has the Weaslette met your standards?"

The Italian looked away from the girl he was talking to to glance at the red haired beauty. She was striking in every way. She moved fluidly on the dance floor. There was a fire in her eyes that intrigued Blaise, much to his disdain. The way her hips moved, and the way she ran her fingers through her hair was captivating. "Sod off, Nott," he growled under his breath.

"Perhaps I should ask her for a dance," Theo teased.

Blaise scowled in response before looking at Draco. "How about you, Drake? What do you think of Miss. Know-it-all?" he drawled. He shooed off the girl that still stood beside him, and ignored the furious look she sent his way. Then he turned his attention back on Draco.

Draco leaned against the bar with his arms crossed. "I think..." he paused, smirking,"...we're going to have to show some Gryffindors a bit of fun."

* * *

Ginny was proud of her best friend for letting go of her troubles for once. She was having fun with Hermione and the other girls. That is, until her eyes met the dark mysterious eyes of Blaise Zabini. He was staring at her. Not her and her friends, but _her_. His eyes seemed to follow her every move, and their gaze made her feel nervous, but not necessarily in a bad way. She had remembered Zabini as Malfoy's friend. After Malfoy ditched Crabbe and Goyle, Zabini and Nott were his new everyday cronies. Though, she didn't mind the improvement. Zabini and Nott were far better looking and far less annoying.

Though, the look Blaise was giving her made every inch of her body awaken. She felt more alive, and a bit...vulnerable. But Ginny kept dancing. She tore her eyes away from the Italian and suddenly grabbed a boy nearby. He was a decent looking lad. She recognized him as Brandon Rosco, a Hufflepuff in her year.

She danced with Brandon, who didn't protest. After all, he was dancing with one of the most desirable girls at Hogwarts. She danced innocently enough, but Brandon's hormones were making him lust for the witch.

Hermione sent Ginny a questioning look, but shrugged it off when the Ginny continued to dance with Brandon. The brunette began to dance with Lavender and Padma. Parvati had strayed a few feet away with a Ravenclaw in her grasp.

Ginny closed her eyes momentarily, feeling lost in the music, but the moment she shut her eyes, all she saw was the gaze of a certain Slytherin. His intense look was burned into her mind. She couldn't help but to wonder why he was staring at her like that. Blaise Zabini was picky with his girls, and even if he found her pretty, she was still a 'Gryffindork' as he so poetically put it the first time they spoke.

 _"Has the little Gryffindork lost her way?" drawled an unfamiliar voice._

 _Ginny flushed as she looked around the dark dungeon hallways. She was trying to get to the dorms when she_ _accidentally took a few wrong turns. She wasn't sure how she ended up in the dungeons, yet there she was, as lost as ever. It was only her third day at Hogwarts and already she was lost._

 _"Who's there?" she asked, her voice sounding stronger than she felt._

 _Out of the shadows stepped a boy, with dark eyes and a cold look. His Slytherin uniform did not go unnoticed by Ginny as she accessed him. He merely stared back, accessing her as well. He instantly recognized her as one of the Weasley children by her flaming hair and freckles. Even in the dim light, he can see her blue eyes staring at him._

 _"Well?" Blaise snapped petulantly._ _Ginny blinked, confused, until realizing what he meant. She nodded quickly to his previous question. Blaise suddenly smirked at this, causing Ginny to freeze. Instead of being a typical Slytherin and giving her hell for being lost, he nodded his head in a direction. "Make a left at the end and keep walking. Some prefects will be on patrol around there to help you," he said vaguely._

 _Ginny nodded again and began walking, hoping to get out of the dungeons as soon as possible._

 _"Oh, and Weaslette," he called after her, "I wouldn't recommend coming down here aimlessly alone. Most of the people down here wouldn't mind roughing up a Gryffindork."_

Ginny was ripped away from her reverie by the feeling of Brandon's hands on her waist. They felt wrong on her body, and she knew she had to tell him to no go further. But when her eyes opened, those dark brown ones were staring at her still, except this time, they were blazing with anger.

Blaise's whole demeanor was off. His jaw was clenched and his arms were crossed, though Ginny knew his hands were balled up into fists as well. Steam might as well have been coming out of his ears as he glared at her. Ginny had never seen Blaise so angry. He was usually the even-tempered one of all of Slytherin. He never cared much for anyone outside of his small group of friends. Yet there he was, raging like a bull, because of what?

Brandon's hands began to wander lower than Ginny felt comfortable, so she promptly moved his hands back to her waist. Brandon didn't seem to be getting the message though as his hands continued to move.

"I'm going to get a drink!" she said abruptly, before tearing herself away from him and turning around. Instead of finding her friends, she saw nothing but meaningless faces. Ginny silently cursed and began to make her way to the bar. She couldn't help but to take note that the Slytherins were there as well, but she pretended like she didn't see them. "Can I get a water?" she asked Enzo, the bartender, since water was the only free thing there. Ginny sat down on a stool and ran her hand through her hair.

"Done dancing already, Weaslette?" asked a deep voice.

Ginny glanced over at the Slytherins to see Theodore Nott sending her a smile. Not a smirk, or a sneer, but a _smile_. "The night has just begun," she replied. "So of course not."

"Good. Then perhaps you'd care for a dance," Theo said flirtatiously. He winked at her and added, "I'll keep my hands to myself if you'd like."

Without meaning to, Ginny glanced at Blaise, to see him scowling at Theo. "I'll take you up on that, Nott," she smirked, then winked back.

* * *

Hermione didn't want to leave Ginny, but she seemed like she was doing okay. Parvati had to use the restroom and dragged Hermione, Lavender, and Padma with her. The four of them decided to let Ginny have her fun. The line for the bathroom seemed to go on forever though. Hermione was contemplating leaving the line to find Ginny. She didn't like leaving her alone.

"See anyone cute?" Padma asked.

"Won-Won will be the only guy for me," Lavender sighed. "But I suppose that there's some decent lads here," she said.

"Oh give it a rest with Ron. He's too stupid to notice anyone who likes him," Parvati snorted. Then she sent Hermione a knowing look, making her blush. "Honestly, how does someone like _him_ get girls like you two?"

Lavender suddenly grabbed Hermione's arm. "Hermione isn't interested in my Won-Won anymore. Isn't that right, 'Mione?" Lavender's grip tightened slightly.

Hermione yanked her arm away from the blonde. "I am most definitely over Ronald," she said, nodding.

"Well now you have Draco Malfoy," Padma giggled. "I saw him here earlier, you know."

"Ooh, yes. Draco and his friends are here. Hermione, this is a chance to make your move. Might as well do it now, since you'll be living together," Lavender insisted. "Dance with him."

"No!" Hermione said quickly. "He's a prat."

"A handsome prat," Parvati corrected.

"But a prat no less," Hermione said firmly. "Besides, I'm muggle-born. I'm everything he was raised to hate."

"Oh, Hermione," Lavender began with an eye roll, "he is still a guy." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and shot Hermione a wolfish smile. "And all of the guys here are horny."

Hermione's face turned red. Not just any shade of red, but Weasley red. She shook her head and shuddered at the thought of Malfoy. "Well _I_ wouldn't go near _him_. He's not my type."

"Brilliant and attractive isn't your type?" Padma asked.

"Annoying and self-absorbed." Hermione huffed and crossed her arms. "You all seem to forget the bigger picture. He's a _Malfoy._ "

"You really know how to hurt a bloke's feelings," drawled a deep voice.

Hermione turned around, wide eyed, to see the devil himself. Draco Malfoy stood a meter away, dressed in simple jeans and a fitting white shirt. A lazy smirk was on his lips, as he looked at the witch, amused.

"I came to find you ladies and tell you all that I found your little Weaslette," Draco said. "She seems to be fond of Nott, at the moment."

"Nott? As in Theodore Nott?" Parvati asked incredulously.

Hermione frowned. "Have you prats done anything to her? So help me Merlin I will hex you to hell and back if you-"

"Easy there, Granger. We haven't touched the mini Weasel," Draco said, holding his hands in the air. His smirk only widened. "She's dancing with Nott close to the bar, if you plan on finding her when you're done here." He motioned to the unmoving line for the bathroom. "But, if you ladies want to have some _real_ fun, the lads and I were about to head out."

Lavender took this as a chance to do something stupid and reckless for Hermione. Although the two of them rarely got along, she wanted the brunette to have some fun. Besides, if Hermione was with Draco, Ron would be with her. "And where would we go?" Lavender purred, batting her eyelashes.

Draco suppressed a laugh at the Gryffindor. She was pretty, but not his type. Still, his smirk merely widened by a fraction as he purred back, "It's a secret."

* * *

Theo was true to his words at first, and kept his hands to himself as he danced near Ginny. He found himself at ease in the witch's presence. But he didn't miss the glare that Blaise was sending him. "Weaselette, it seems like a certain Italian is upset at us. Any reason why?" he asked.

Ginny shrugged and danced closer to Theo. "Not a clue," she said half-truthfully. "Perhaps he's jealous," she joked.

The Slytherin in Theo woke up with that statement. "Jealous," he echoed. Theo smirked a Malfoy worthy smirk, and leaned close to Ginny so their faces were only centimeters apart. "Well we should give him something to be jealous of, right Love?" And he placed a short, swift, kiss on Ginny's lips. Theo grabbed the witch's hand and twirled her around before pulling her against his body.

Ginny gasped and moved to pull herself away, but Theo stopped her.

"Look at him. He's absolutely raging."

It was true. Past Theo's shoulder, Ginny could see Blaise looking angrier than before, if that was possible. He glared hard at her, and she could only stare back. After a few seconds he tore is eyes away and stormed off into the sea of people.

Just as he left, Ginny saw her friends, followed by Draco Malfoy. Ginny tore herself away from Nott and walked towards her friends. "There you are!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry, Gin," Padma apologized.

"I had to use the loo," Parvati said sheepishly.

Draco looked around in confusion. Then he narrowed his eyes at the red haired witch "Where did Zabini go?"

"Just left," Theo answered as he stood beside Ginny. "He's a bit upset by the looks of it."

"Wait." Ginny motioned to her friends and Draco. "What are you lot doing together?"

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, only for Draco to cut her off. "Your lovely friends have agreed to join me and the lads for the rest of the night. We were just about ready to head off, but it seems like Blaise left without us."

"He'll show," Theo said offhandedly. "He always does."

 **A/N Hey! I'm glad that people are already liking my first chapter! Sorry if this chapter was boring. I wanted to throw a bit of Blaise and Ginny in there. Thank you for those who reviewed, followed, and favorited so far! You guys are amazing. I'll try to make the next chapter a bit more exciting. What did you all think of the Blaise and Ginny bit?**

 **Sorry for any errors and thanks for reading!**

 **~KittyKat**


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione couldn't believe that she was following _Draco Malfoy_ with no wand or protection, as he led her and the others to an unknown destination. They had left _Roar_ , and flooed to a small bookstore in Hogmeade. The store was empty but the lights were on. It gave Hermione a comforting feeling. Being surrounded by so many books that have yet to be read made her want to lay in bed and curl up to a good novel. But they didn't stay in the bookstore for long. Soon after their arrival, Malfoy led them out of the store and down a barren road. When Hermione asked him where they were doing, his only response was a chuckle.

"Nott, tell me that Malfoy isn't leading us to a trap," Hermione muttered.

Theo laughed and sent Hermione a charming smile. "No need to worry, Love. His tormenting won't begin until school does."

They all continued walking until the road disappeared and transformed into a forest. Hermione stayed near the rest of the girls, still feeling uneased. It was all Lavender's fault for agreeing to join Malfoy. Hermione didn't understand why everyone was getting along all of the sudden. She was still Know-it-All Granger, and he was the Amazing Bouncing Ferret. She was still a Gryffindor, and he was still a slimy Slytherin.

Draco Malfoy was her enemy. He was Harry and Ron's enemy. All of the things he did to them throughout their years at Hogwarts built up years of hatred. And yet, there she was, following him through a forest. Hermione was wondering if she was becoming as mad as Dumbledore.

"Here."

Draco stopped at the edge of a clearing. At first it seemed rather ordinary, but then the lush green grass began to glow. The whole clearing illuminated with soft green light, and a gentle breeze blew, causing the light to scatter through the air. Hermione observed the clearing, and being the ever Know-it-All, she realized what the light was.

"Ferocia," Hermione gasped.

"Ferocia? What in Merlin's name is that? And why is the clearing glowing?" Padma asked.

"It's...a _drug_ ," Hermione said lamely. She looked at Draco, who was smirking. "Ferocia is produced in certain types of grass. It's quite rare. Once there is enough produced within the plant, it is released in a power. Though it only glows in the presence of magic, so muggles are incapable of seeing it. Any witch or wizard that consumes even a gram of the drug becomes...out of character."

Draco snorted. "What Granger means is- a whiff of it will make you loopy for a few good hours."

A small mischievous smile formed on Lavender's lip. "How loopy?" she inquired with great interest.

"Enough to make you do things you'd never do sober."

* * *

Blaise watched as Draco persuaded Lavender and the Patil sisters to take the drug. The three girls plucked some grass out of the ground and raised the glowing plant to their lips. They all placed the grass on their tongue, but did not swallow the plant. When they removed the grass, the drug had already taken affect. Their eyes were glowing in the darkness of the night, showing that Ferocia had taken over.

Lavender giggled and suddenly began twirling around like a child. A smile was plastered on her face. Padma began to sway slightly and started babbling nonsense about boys. Parvati had simply laid on the ground and began moving her arms and legs as if making a snow angel. The Ferocia she laid on stuck to the fabric of her dress and her skin, making her glow.

Blaise moved his gaze to the two witches who stared at their friends in surprise and amusement. His obsidian eyes laid on the Weaslette. She seemed to be tempted to take the drug. He could see it in her eyes. Blaise felt torn as he watched her from above. A part of him wanted to see how the drug would affect her, but another part didn't want to know what'd she do under Ferocia's influence. What if she stripped bare and ran through the clearing? Nott had done that once, and it took Draco and Blaise hours to get his clothes back on. The memory of Nott's bare arse forever tainted his mind. Though, seeing the Weaslette naked would surely not be horrible, but if Draco and Nott saw her naked as well, he'd have to obliviate them both.

The Italian continued to watch as he sat perched on a tree branch from above. Nott had decided to take the drug next, and he began to laugh uncontrollably and point at the sky.

"Draco!" he called out. Then he looked at the blonde haired Slytherin. "It's you!" he hissed, suddenly pointing to Draco. Then he pointed at the sky again. "You're there! Up there! You're a star, Draco!" Theo laughed and ran towards Draco with open arms. Before Malfoy could dodge his friend's advances, Nott had him in a tight hug. "I know a star! You're a star, Draco! A bloody fucking star. Always shine, Drakie-Pooooo," Theo said in a loud whisper, as if he was telling Malfoy a secret. "I'm so proud to have a best friend who is a star. I mean- screw Harry Potter! Scarhead is nothing to being a bloody star. Drakie, Drakie," Theo repeated, "Drakie is better than Potty."

Hermione and Ginny were a giggling mess. They enjoyed watching as Nott humiliated himself and Draco. Malfoy looked about ready to kill Theo, but instead, he pried his friend away and held his shoulder at an arm's length away.

"Mate, Draco is a constellation," Malfoy said slowly, as if he was talking to a child. "And what have we said about hugging?"

Theo's face scrunched up, as if he was thinking really hard about the question. "No hugging?"

"No. Hugging," Draco said firmly, nodding. "Now if I let you go, you can not hug me. Understood?"

Theo nodded vigorously. "Teddy will not hug Drakie." Draco slowly removed his hands from Nott's shoulders. But before he could even blink, Theo had is arms wrapped around Draco again.

"Nott!" Draco barked in a scolding manner.

"Surprise! I lied. I'm Slytherin like that," Theo giggled.

"Lavender, no!" Hermione suddenly shouted, catching the attention of everyone else.

Lavender was running through the clearing with her arms spread out like wings. "I can fly! I can fly!" Lavender said, flapping her arms frantically. "Look at me!" She launched herself in the air, only to crash unceremoniously to the ground. A loud wail came from her as she curled into a fetal position. "My wings are broken!"

"Bloody hell," Ginny muttered, though she couldn't help but to laugh softly. "Lav, you're okay. Your wings are fine. Why don't you come here so I can see them?"

Lavender slowly got on her feet. "O-okay. You won't take my wings though, right?" she called out to Ginny.

"Of course not. Just come here so I can make sure that they work," Ginny replied calmly.

"Lav! I have wings too! Look at my wings! Mine work just fine!" Padma said.

"Mine too!" Parvati exclaimed.

The two sisters began to run around the clearing, mimicking what Lavender had just done. They flapped their arms as they ran, and began to jump in the air. Though unlike Lavender, they landed on their feet each time.

"Wee! Wee!"

"Nott, I mean it. Get off of me before I hex you to the next week," Draco warned.

Theo whined loudly like a child on a tantrum. "Oh alright. You're so mean, Drakie. Drakie is mean. 'Mione, did you know that Drakie is mean?" Theo asked, pulling away from Draco to turn to Hermione. He walked over to Hermione and pulled her into a hug. She gently patted his back, unsure of what else to do. "Drakie is mean."

"Yes, yes. Drakie is _very_ mean," Hermione cooed.

"Hermione..."

"Yes?"

"You smell _delicious_." Suddenly Nott bit down on Hermoine's shoulder, though not hard enough to make her bleed. Hermione yelped and pushed Theo away. He grinned wolfishly at her. "I'm a _vampire_ ," he said seriously.

Draco howled with laughter as Hermione stared at Theo in horror. She looked down at the bite mark on her shoulder and glared hard at Theo.

"Theodore Nott, you should never bite someone," she chided.

"But-but-" Nott broke into a wail. "I want Blaise here! Blaise! Blaise!"

The Italian's eyes widened. "Merlin, he's lost it," Blaise muttered to himself.

"Blaise! Blaisie Booo! Zab-Zab! Zabini! **_Blaise!_** " Theo screeched, stomping his foot childishly. "I know you're here!"

Blaise silently cursed and began to climb down from his tree. "Alright! Shut up already!" he snapped as he hopped off a branch and landed gracefully on his feet. Everyone stared at Blaise. The girls all looked surprised that he was there, but Draco and Nott had already known he was watching.

"Blaise! Tell Hermione that I can bite people!" Nott demanded.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Mate, Granger is right. You can't bite people."

"But why!"

"Because I said so," Blaise said sternly. "Now pull yourself together, mate. You look pathetic."

At that, Theo broke into another wail. "I. Am. Not. Pathetic! Drakie!" And he threw himself at the blonde once more, crying his eyes out about how Blaise was a bigger meanie than the constellation.

 **A/N Thank you for the reviews! Alright you guys know the drill: Sorry for any errors and thanks for all of the follows, reviews, and favorites. You guys are awesome, seriously. I'll continue on with what's going on in this chapter in the next one, so you guys will read more about Nott hugging Drakie.**

 **Thanks for everything!**

 **~KittyKat**


	4. Chapter 4

It took Blaise ten minutes to get Theo to stop crying. "Mate, I'm sorry," Blaise said in an exasperated tone for the umpteenth time.

"Do you truly mean it?" Theo sniffled, pulling away from Draco to wipe his teary eyes.

"Yes, I bloody mean it," Blaise lied with an eye roll.

Theo then opened his arms at Blaise and gave him an expectant look. Blaise scowled at shook his head, but when Nott's blue eyes began to water up again, he begrudgingly accepted a hug from the wizard. The hug was brief and Blaise tore himself way from Theo as kindly as he could. He hated it when Theo got emotional. There was always someone who had to parent him whenever Theo consumed Ferocia. Usually it was Blaise, because Draco would be loopy as well. At least when Draco was loopy, he didn't have the urge to hug everyone.

"Ginny, Hermione, try a bit!" Padma urged, running at full speed at Hermione. She pinned Hermione to the ground and straddled her waist. In Padma's hand was glowing grass. She shoved it at Hermione, who pursed her lips tightly shut. "Hermione, try it! Be courageous!"

"Yeah, Hermione! Don't be such a prude!" Lavender cut in.

Hermione scowled at the two witches. She didn't want to be loony. She was glad that Luna had not come along with them or else things would have been worse. Merlin, Luna acted loopy already. If she consumed Ferocia, perhaps she would act mundane. Hermione shook her head at the thought and pursed her lips even tighter.

"Yes, Granger. Don't be such a prude," Draco mocked, sending Hermione a malicious grin. There was a fire in his eyes that challenged her. "Can the Gryffindor Princess step off her throne and have some _fun_?"

Hermione glared hard at him. He was such a prat. There was a difference between being a prude and being sane. "Bug off, Mal-"

Padma shoved the grass in her mouth and covered Hermione's mouth so she couldn't spit it out. Hermione thrashed and sent Ginny a pleading look, only to find the red haired witch being hugged by Theo. Her honey colored eyes flashed into a bright alluring glow, and it was then when Padma got off her. Hermione spat out the grass and pouted.

"Ouch, Padma. You hurt me," she said softly, holding up her dirtied left elbow. It had collided with the ground when Padma tackled her. Hermione cradled it in her hand and turned to Draco. "This is you're fault," she said accusingly, her voice still soft and sweet. She sounded so soothing, even though she was clearly upset.

"It's your bloody fault for opening-"

"Kiss it."

Draco's eyes widened and he staggered back, as if she had slapped him. "Granger..."

"Kiss it," Hermione repeated, holding her elbow out to him. She took a step towards Draco in a slow predatory way. The lioness in her came out as she took another step towards him. "You have to kiss it to make it feel better." Hermione took one last step towards Draco, leaving a mere few inches between them. She looked up at him, and Draco's breath caught in his throat.

Hermione looked breath taking. Her hair was messy in a sexy way, and her full pink lips were slightly parted. Her glowing eyes were full of warmth, something that was rare within Slytherins. Hermione's cheeks were slightly flushed, and as Draco looked harder, he could make out the tiniest of freckles on the bridge of her small button nose.

Hermione didn't miss the way Draco was looking at her. He was drinking in her appearance, and she greedily did the same. She had never had the opportunity to actually _look_ at Draco. Whenever she saw him, her mind blurred out his face to make him seem less revolting. He was always tormenting Ron and Harry or some poor first year. Draco lived to make the lives of others terrible. She still remembered when she had slapped him. He deserved it of course. He was always so infuriating. And yet there she was, demanding for him to kiss her elbow, which had stopped hurting already.

His silver eyes were transfixed on her, gazing over her face through long lashes. Hermione observed him, feeling the urge to run her fingers through his loose silky locks. His face had become less pointy over the years and more defined. His nose and cheekbones were prominent and his jaw was set hard. His lips were not thin, but not full enough to look feminine. They looked so soft from Hermione's perspective.

Suddenly Draco grabbed her forearm and waist. He leaned down and raised her elbow slightly. Then, he pressed a soft kiss just above the minor wound. "All better," he murmured against her skin. Then he let go of her, as if she was contaminated with a deathly disease, and stepped away.

Hermione frowned and blurted out, "Why are you so mean?"

"See! I'm not the only one who thinks Drakie is mean," Theo said proudly. He let go of Ginny to walk over to Hermione. He draped an arm around the witch and smiled. "You're my new friend, got it? Gryffindor or muggle-born or not- you're my friend," Theo said seriously. "And I shall call you...Mimi?...No not that. 'Mione is too common for you... Hermi?...Merlin, no." Theo began to ramble off nicknames that did not seem quite right. "Minnie. I shall call you Minnie. Simple enough, yes?" He gestured to everyone else dramatically with a wave of his hand. "And none of you may call her that but _me_."

Draco raised an eyebrow at that. He watched as Nott and Hermione began to twirl around. Hermione giggled. Her giggle was such a melodic sound that Draco felt compelled to hear more.

"Teddy! Teddy my feet hurt. I can't twirl much more," Hermione pouted. She stopped twirling to look at her feet, which were still wearing the horribly uncomfortable heels she hated.

"Then Teddy shall carry Minnie!" Theo announced, and he scooped her into his arms, as if she weighed nothing. He grinned at her, and she grinned back.

Draco felt a pang in his chest at the scene before him. His eyebrows furrowed together and his lips pressed into a line. His fingers curled into tight fists and he felt the urge to pull the witch out of Theo's arms. Instead, he just watched as an unfamiliar emotion raged on in his chest and played with his mind.

Theo began to twirl again, only faster than normal. Hermione shrieked as the world around her spun. She could feel her mind becoming dizzier and dizzier. "Teddy, slow down!" But Theo, who was too busy twirling, did not hear her. He spun around and around, watching as everything became a blur. "Teddy, slow!" Hermione gently hit Theo's chest. He looked down at her, confused, and in doing so, he tripped over his own feet.

The wizard fell to the ground ungraciously with Hermione crashing on him. She fell, straddling his waist as she sat on him. They both muttered, "Ow," and pouted childishly.

Draco glared hard at them and walked over, pulling Hermione off of Theo. "I think that's enough spinning like idiots for the night."

"You're just jealous because you are incapable of being as fun as Teddy," Hermione shot at him.

"Granger, you're not in your right mind," Draco sighed.

"And who's fault is that?"

They glared at each other for a few seconds before Hermione blurted out, "I hope our child is _nothing_ like you."

"Like me?" Draco scoffed, clearly offended.

"Yes, like _you_. Snotty, mean, absolutely _ugly_." The last bit was a lie, but Hermione didn't stop there. "You're nothing but a no good prat who complains to his wealthy parents whenever things don't go his way. You're nothing but a-a-" Hermione suddenly felt light headed. "-a-"

"Hermione?" Ginny said worriedly. She rushed to her best friend's side and held her shoulders. "Hermione, do you feel alright?"

Hermione shook her head slowly and began to tug at her dress. "Hot," she murmured. "Hot."

Ginny pressed the back of her hand to Hermione's forehead to feel the brunette's skin burning up. She retracted her hand quickly, as if she was burned. Then she looked at Draco with alarmed eyes. "She's got a fever, Malfoy."

 **A/N And that's it for the effects of Ferocia. This will continue on later. Pardon my mistakes and thanks for reading!**

 **~KittyKat**


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione opened her eyes and hissed as sunlight blinded her. She covered her eyes with her hands and swallowed hard, trying to stop the burning in her throat. Her mouth was as dry as the desert, and her lips felt chapped. Hermione tried to recalled what had happened the previous night. All she could remember was Theo hugging her, and everything before that.

"Hermione?"

The witch looked around to find herself outside in the Weasley backyard. She was laying in on the ground with a jumper under her head and neck for support. Upon further inspection, Hermione realized that she was dressed in revealing cotton shorts and a tank top, both of which definitely did not belong to her. Next to her was Ginny and Lavender. Lavender was sleeping with her mouth wide open, allowing drool to leave the corner of her mouth and for grass to graze her lips. Ginny on the other hand, was wide awake with heavy bags under her eyes. She and Lavender wore shorts and tank tops as well, though the apparel was more natural for them.

"Gin, what in Merlin's name happened last night?" Hermione croaked out, rubbing her eyes.

Ginny sighed and patted her friend's shoulder. "You took that bloody drug, and had a bad reaction. Malfoy thinks it's because of your...bloodline. But after you passed out, we had to sober everyone up. You wouldn't wake until we got here, and when you did, you caused such a ruckus. Lav and I had to change you and tried to get you in bed. You screamed when we tried because the bed was too hot. Nearly woke Mum, you did. Thankfully only Harry woke, and I convinced him that the three of us were camping outside." Ginny rolled her eyes and nodded at Lavender. "Lav stayed and helped me watch you. She didn't want to risk you waking up and doing something to or with Ron."

In unison, the witches shuddered at the thought. "And the others?" Hermione asked, her voice a bit more clear.

"Padma and Parvati went home immediately. Nott was still in the loop actually, so Zabini and Malfoy left to take care of him," Ginny explained.

Hermione nodded, thankful for her best friend. "Thanks for taking care of me Gin. I'm sorry for being a bother."

Ginny snorted. "You must be joking! You going loony with Nott was the highlight of my summer! Minnie and Teddy," Ginny cooed. "Nott began to bawl once Lav and I left with you. Malfoy looked annoyed." Ginny wanted to include that Draco had threatened Theo if he came near Hermione, but she decided to keep that information hidden.

Lavender stirred from next to Hermione. "What the bloody hell?" she mumbled, sitting up. She rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn. "Is 'Mione sane yet?"

"Yes, Lavender," Hermione mused.

The three girls got off the ground and groaned from their stiff muscles. Ginny, who had not gotten much sleep, felt like passing out. Hermione and Lavender helped her get inside the house as silently as possible. The moment Hermione got Ginny on her bed, the red haired witch passed out.

"I best be going. Tell Ron I say hello, yeah?" Lavender said brightly.

Hermione waited for the usual threat to stay away from Ron, but it never came. So instead, she nodded and smiled slightly. "I'll tell him. Thank you for watching me last night."

Then Lavender left, and Hermione was left alone to think. Last night had felt like a dream or nightmare of some sorts. Hermione's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to recall what happened besides Nott constantly hugging her. After a few minutes of nothing but wasted time, Hermione huffed and quietly paced beside Ginny's bed. She chewed at her bottom lip and wrung her wrists. After another minute of nothing, Hermione's eyes caught sight of the mirror in the corner of the room.

Slowly, Hermione walked towards it, accessing herself. Her was definitely bushy right then. There where massive knots and random leaves in her hair. She didn't look like she was harmed. But upon closer inspection, she noticed the dirt that stained her left elbow.

"Strange," she murmured to herself.

* * *

Ginny and Hermione kept the night in the clearing with the Slytherins a secret from Harry and Ron. Even Lavender did not tell Ron about that night. As far as Harry and Ron knew, the girls went out to _Roar_ and camped outside for the night. Hermione was hoping to not see Malfoy at least until the school term began. She felt embarrassed that he and his cronies witnessed her act to uncharacteristically.

That's why when the Golden Trio and Ginny went out to go back to school shopping, Hermione avoided drawing attention to herself. Of course, that was an issue since she was friends with _Harry Potter_. There were stares from others wherever they went. After all, he was still the Boy Who Lived. Voldemort had not made an appearance since the night of Mr. and Mrs. Potter's deaths. Eventually everyone had assumed it was because of Harry that the dark wizard had stayed away.

"I care about Lav. Really, I do. But she can be so- so-"

" _Clingy_?" Harry offered.

Ron nodded vehemently. "She's gone mad, Harry. The sodding class hasn't even started yet and she's already got children's names picked out." Ron sighed loudly and slouched.

Ginny laughed at her brother's expense. "Oh Merlin, I wouldn't be surprised if she's already thinking of marriage."

"Piss off, Gin," Ron muttered.

Harry patted Ron's back sympathetically. "It's okay mate," he said whilst stifling a laugh.

They all walked into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, only to be greeted by chaos and boisterous sounds coming from every direction. Children ran throughout the building while their parents gave no effort to calm them. Two familiar red haired twins came running towards the group with wide smiles.

"'Mione, little sister, Harry," greeted the twins in unison. They glanced at Ron and shot him a mischievous smile that sent chills down his spine. "Ronald," drawled the twins.

"Come to shop, eh? Well you all know the deal, everything is free for Harry and half off for the ladies," George said, winking at Hermione during the last bit.

Ron's face turned red with anger and his hands formed tight fists. He ignored the twins and shoved past them, storming off to find new practical jokes to use on Slytherins. Harry followed his best friend, rolling his eyes at Ron's impulsiveness. Meanwhile, George and Fred led the girls to where more of the witches' products were.

They became surrounded by pink. Love potions, kissing concoctions, and other seemingly romantic products surrounded the four of them. Hermione played with the pygmy puffs, remembering that Ginny has one herself.

"Thinking about getting one? Arnold might want a friend," Fred urged, giving Hermione a lopsided grin.

"Just looking," Hermione replied with a sad smile.

"What a shame. They're cuddly little fellas." Fred picked up a pygmy puff and held it closer to Hermione. He watched at the beautiful witch carefully stroked the miniature puffskin's fur. Her dainty fingers ran through the pink fur softly. The corner's of Hermione's lips turned up, gracing her features with a gentle smile. Fred began to wonder why Ron had ever chosen Lavender Brown when he could have had Hermione. Then again, Fred wasn't sure if his younger brother was suited for the witch. Hermione required someone intelligent and poised. Someone who could give her his undivided attention. Someone who could bring out her wild side and protect her.

That someone, Fred knew, could never be Ron. He had told George that long ago, but his twin seemed to think that Ron and Hermione would be together in the end. Fred was prepared to keep that from happening though, for his sake and for Ron and Hermione's. He just needed to find someone good enough for Hermione, which seemed to be difficult. A part of Fred wasn't ready to let go of the witch he considered his sister, but another part said it was time for her to meet someone new.

After a minute of staring at Hermione, Fred put the pygmy puff back and excused himself. He searched through the crowded area for the only person he knew that could help. Too many people surrounded him though, making his task harder. It must've been a good five minutes before he laid eyes on Cupid's own little helper.

"Little sister, you've gotta help me with something."

 **A/N Hey! So this was just kind of a filler. The next chapter will have the gang going off to Hogwarts! Sorry that I haven't updated. I thought I had just updated the other day but it turned out to be longer. Anyways, thank you for all of the reads, reviews, favorites, and follows. You all are amazing. Sorry for any mistakes!**

 **~KittyKat**


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione stared out of the compartment window, gazing into the sea of people. There were younger kids staring at the Hogwarts Express with a longing look and nervous first years were saying goodbyes to their parents. She thought back to her parents, who she had barely spoken to over the summer. Over the years, Hermione had gotten so sucked into magic that she had forgotten about parts of the muggle world. That included her parents, who she sent occasional letters to. A part of her felt guilty for letting her relationship with her mum and dad fade.

"You okay, Hermione?" Ron asked. He nudged her with his elbow and frowned.

"Yes. I'm just thinking," she answered softly.

The others decided to leave her to her thoughts. Hermione could vaguely make out the sound of her friends talking about the parenting class. The buzz of chatter kept a constant noise in her mind that made it hard to concentrate. Along with the conversation in the background, there were too many thoughts roaming around Hermione's head: School, classes, family, etc. But she remained quiet, not in the mood to talk. At some point in time, she managed to block the voices out as she closed her eyes. The world around her faded away, till darkness welcomed her with open arms.

 _"Love, I'm home," called out a smooth deep voice._

 _A platinum haired man walked into the room. His grey eyes were filled with an undecipherable emotion. He walked towards Hermione and pressed a phantom of a kiss on her cheek. She could hear herself say a response, but the words sounded muffled to her own ears._ _"How was your day?" asked the man._

 _"Busy. Your children thought it would be fun to color the walls with permanent markers," Hermione sighed._

 _"They're **our** children."_

 _It was then when a child came running into the man's arms. It was a little girl, though she seemed so faint to Hermione. No significant features of the girl could be made out. And when the child spoke, her voice was quiet, just above a whisper. A boy, who Hermione had felt was older than the girl, came running towards the man as well. He stood beside Hermione and held her hand. When Hermione tried to squeeze the boy's hand, it felt as if she had no strength._

 _Hermione frowned at this. She tried to make out everything that was going on. Her eyes darted around the room, to see that she was back at her house. It was the same house she grew up in with her parents. The same house she had forgotten about all summer. Hermione tried to look at the clock that was usually in the kitchen, but all she saw were blurred numbers. Hermione shook her head and stepped away from the boy._

 _"It's a dream," she murmured._

 _"Are you okay, Hermione?" asked the man._

 _"Dream," she repeated. "It's a dream." Hermione shook her head again and willed her body to wake. There was a pulling sensation that pricked at her mind. "It's just a dream."_

Hermione's eyes popped open, startling her friends from her sudden consciousness. Her head was on Ron's shoulder, and draped around her was Ron's robe. Slowly she sat upright and nearly groaned from the stiffness of her neck. Her eyes glanced at the window to see that it was still bright outside.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" Harry asked.

His question sent a shock through her body, and tugged at her memory. Those words...that question...it was what that man in her dream had asked her. Hermione tried to remember more of her dream, but all she could recall was gaining consciousness during the ordeal. The dream was too strange to be real, she inwardly told herself.

"Just a strange dream," Hermione muttered. She flashed a small smile then glanced around the compartment to see someone missing. "Where's Ginny?"

"McGonagall called for her about ten minutes ago," Neville replied. Before Hermione could ask her next question Neville said, "You were asleep for a few hours."

Hermione was surprised. It felt like only a few moments had past since she fell asleep. The compartment door opened and Ginny came walking into the room. She had a dazed look on her face. But what was wrong with her appearance was the badge pinned to her robe. The letter P was on the badge, meaning Prefect.

"Blimey, not you," Ron moaned. Being a Prefect was never something Ron liked. He had resigned after becoming tired of the patrols he had to do. Now that his little sister was a Prefect, he knew that she'd brag about it to their mum. Molly Weasley would be so proud of Ginny. Ron was briefly relieved that he wouldn't have to witness their mum's reaction.

"There were last minute changes with prefects. Since Malfoy and Hermione became Head Boy and Girl, Gryffindor and Slytherin needed new prefects," Ginny said. "I was meant to get my letter, but McGonagall said there was a mix up." She ran her hand through her fiery hair then turned to Hermione. "She wants to speak to you."

Ginny sat down next to Harry and rested her head on his shoulder. She chewed on her bottom lip and stared blankly into space with a lost look in her eyes. Hermione wanted to question her, but got up instead. Her muscles groaned in protest as Hermione gave Ron back his robe and put her own on instead. She rubbed the sleep away from her eyes and tried her best to fix her hair before leaving.

Hermione made her way to the compartment at the front of the Hogwarts Express. It wasn't long until she entered the compartment where the prim woman sat. Professor McGonagall looked as neat and poised as ever. Her slightly greying hair was in a tight bun without a strand out of place. She gave Hermione a tight polite smile upon her arrival.

"Ms. Granger, please sit."

The young witch did as she was told and sat across her professor. "Is there something wrong, Professor?"

Minerva McGonagall pursed her thin lips together. "As I am sure you are aware, you and Mr. Malfoy will be partners in Parenting 101." She paused, as if thinking of something. "I understand that this must be a discomfort for you, given your history with him. However, your pairing is the glue to this class. Do you understand, Miss. Granger?"

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed together. "I apologize Professor, I don't quite get what you are saying."

"What I am saying is- You and Mr. Malfoy are imperative to the outcome of the class. This message comes from Professor Dumbledore of course," McGonagall said stiffly. She wanted to add that if _she_ could have chosen Hermione's partner, she would have chosen someone better suited. As a professor, she was meant to be neutral between students, but she had grown fond of Hermione. McGonagall couldn't believe that the Sorting Hat and Dumbledore agreed to put Hermione and Draco together. She had watched the blonde haired Slytherin torment the witch for years.

"Again I apologize, but I still do not understand. Is there a greater reason for my pairing with Malf- Draco?" Hermione asked, curious as to why she was given this message.

"I'm afraid I cannot answer that question. But Professor Dumbledore would like it if the two of you were to get along. Merlin knows some unity must be shown at a time like this. Mr. Malfoy has been spoken to about this as well by Professor Snape."

Hermione slowly nodded at this. She trusted Dumbledore, more than she probably should, but her mind was telling her that there was a lot more to this class than most people knew. After all, Parenting 101 had caused such a commotion over the summer. Many families had tried to involve the Ministry, on account of the class violating their daughters. Why would Dumbledore want to create a parenting class?...Unless, he was motivated by achieving some sort of goal. A goal that Hermione and Malfoy were somehow a part of.

"Well, is that all, Professor McGonagall?" Hermione asked, still a bit confused.

After a small nod from the older witch, Hermione left, with several thoughts and theories swimming in her mind.

* * *

 **.a.b.c.d.e.f.g.**

Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table between Ginny and Neville, across from Harry and Ron. As soon as the feast began after the sorting of the first years, Ron had stuffed his face with food. He ate as if he had not eaten in days. Hermione and Ginny scrunched up their noses in disgust and kept a quiet conversation between themselves.

"So you think Dumbledore is up to something?" Ginny asked in a whisper.

"I _know_ he is, Gin. I can just tell," Hermione said firmly. "But what happened with your talk with Professor McGonagall? You seemed a tad out of it."

Ginny's faint blush did not go unnoticed by Hermione. The red haired witch picked at her meal and shrugged slightly. "I was just a bit shocked to be Prefect, I suppose," Ginny lied.

What she had really wanted to tell Hermione, was that she ran into Blaise Bloody Zabini. Quite literally. She had been rushing to tell her friends the news about her position as Prefect when Zabini had suddenly stepped out of his compartment. Ginny had collided with him, which led to a rather flustered redhead and an amused Italian.

Hermione nodded in understanding, but made note that her friend was lying. Hermione took a bite of her roast chicken and licked her lips. She was going to take another bite when Ginny suddenly elbowed her side. The brunette looked at her friend quizzically.

"Malfoy is staring at you," Ginny hissed.

Hermione looked up, only to nearly choke on her spit. She stared into quicksilver eyes that gazed at her intently. Draco Malfoy was very much staring at her, with a slight smirk on his lips. He leaned over towards Blaise to whisper something into the Italian's ears, then both Slytherins laughed. Draco's eyes remained on her throughout the interaction, making Hermione uneasy.

"They're just trying to make us uncomfortable," Hermione told Ginny.

"Who's making you uncomfortable?" Neville asked.

Hermione and Ginny jumped at the sound of his voice. They had forgotten that he was sitting right next to Hermione. Neville looked at them in confusion, then followed where their gazes previously were. His eyes landed on the Slytherins and immediately in his mind, Neville had come to the conclusion that Malfoy and Zabini were bothering his friends.

"It's nothing, Neville," Hermione said quickly.

"Are you sure, Hermione?" Neville asked. He scowled at the two Slytherins. His grip tightened on his fork.

"What would you do anyways?" Ginny cut in. She raised an eyebrow and took a bite of her roast beef. "It'd be you against _Malfoy_ and _Zabini_."

Neville's face reddened at that. He knew he wasn't the strongest, but to be called out like that from Ginny... It was embarrassing. Hermione placed her hand on his arm and sent him a small smile to help soften the blow.

"Thank you for worrying though," she said softly. Her honey eyes twinkled up at him and subconsciously, the tip of Hermione's tongue swiped over her bottom lip.

Neville blushed furiously and looked away. He began eating his meal, avoiding Hermione for the rest of supper. Hermione and Ginny shared a look at his reaction, then both of them shrugged.

For the rest of dinner, Hermione and Ginny made conversation with everyone else. Their laughter and snarky remarks joined the sounds of overlapping conversations throughout the Great Hall. Once dinner was over, the professors led all of the students, except for those taking Parenting 101, to their dorms. Whilst in the Great Hall, Dumbledore and Snape stood in front of the remaining students.

"Ladies and gentlemen, before Professor Snape and I explain the parenting class, the sorting of partners will take place. Only the ladies will be called up. Once your name is called, step up and place the Sorting Hat on your head. This will be just like when you were first years. Once your partner has been announced, please sit with them," Dumbledore announced. He smiled slightly before calling up the first name. "Abbot, Hannah!"

 **A/N And so the sorting begins! Thank you for all of the support so far! You guys are amazing. Sorry for the mistakes. The line break wasn't working so I did the whole .a.b.c.d.e.f.g. thing. I'm not sure if the line will appear once I publish it but the** **.a.b.c.d.e.f.g. will stay as a break for now I guess.**

 **I'm thinking of creating polls for baby names. What do you guys think? I'll need some names for choices for the poll first, so after next chapter once the pairings happen, think of some names for the story! The main pairings have already been made though, so if you guys want to list some names now, then thank you!**

 **-Hermione and Draco  
-Ginny and Blaise  
-Ron and Lavender  
-Harry and Pansy  
-Luna and Theo**

 **~KittyKat**


	7. Chapter 7

Hannah sat on the stool with the Sorting Hat on. She chewed on her lip as the hat searched for her compatible partner. A silence fell over the Great Hall as everyone waited in anticipation.

"Longbottom, Neville!" shouted the Sorting Hat.

There was an eruption of cheers from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff as Hannah's face enflamed into a bright red. She got up and placed the hat back on the stool before going over to Neville. Hermione patted her friend's back and moved to make room for Neville's partner.

"Bones, Susan!...Boot, Terry!"

More cheers came from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Everyone seemed to be anxious to find who they have been stuck with. Lavender was practically jumping out of her seat to put the hat on. She sent Ron a wolfish smile as her name was called out.

"Brown, Lavender!"

Ron gulped nervously and pulled at his red Gryffindor tie, as if it was choking him. He silently prayed that she would be paired with anyone _but_ him. But everyone had known who Lavender would be with before she even put the Sorting Hat on.

"Weasley, Ronald!"

Ron suppressed a groan as everyone around him laughed at his expense. Some sent him sympathetic looks, knowing that he was in for a year of Hell. Everyone knew that Lavender Brown would not think of Parenting 101 as a class, but an opportunity to have a child with Ron. Her obsession with the redhead became known throughout all of Hogwarts. For a moment, even Dumbledore seemed to send Ron a pitying look.

The sorting of partners continued, and Hermione was skipped over since she was already with Draco. A part of her was relieved that she didn't have to sit with him at the Slytherin table. Just the thought of doing so felt like a betrayal to Gryffindor.

"Lovegood, Luna!"

The blonde Ravenclaw walked to the stool with a dreamy expression. She placed the hat on her head and gazed into empty space. A few seconds passed before the Sorting Hat made its decision.

"Nott, Theodore!"

Theodore Nott felt his blood chill as his name was called. He stared wide eyed at the girl who would be the mother of his faux-child. He could vaguely make out the sounds of his fellow Slytherins snickering at him. But after a moment of shock, he composed himself and made room for Luna.

The witch sat down beside him, seemingly oblivious to the stares she was receiving. She smiled at Theo. It was a small sweet smile that wasn't supported by a dreamy expression. But instead, her features seemed neutral, and it was then when Theo saw Luna as _Luna_ and not _Loony Lovegood_.

"This will be exciting, yeah?" Luna said with a giggle.

Theo looked down at her, unsure of what to say. After a brief silence he nodded. "Yeah. Exciting," he echoed.

Blaise clapped Theo's back and sent him a smirk. "Mate, you got out of being with Pansy," he said, as if it was the greatest news Theo could possibly hear.

Pansy huffed at that and stomped her foot violently. "Blaise, you are such a bloody prat sometimes!" She crossed her arms and pouted. "I hope you end up with a Hufflepuff or Gryffindor."

Before anything else could be said, Pansy's name was called. She got up from her seat and winked at Draco, who pretended that he didn't see. Then she walked to the Sorting Hat with her hips swaying more than necessary. Pansy put on the hat with a slight frown, unimpressed by the lack of change since she last wore it. She didn't bother to sit.

"Potter, Harry!"

Silence was all that could be heard. No one moved or so much as breathed. Harry, who was staring at Pansy with a look of horror, couldn't will himself to say anything. And Pansy, who was still wearing the hat, was internally freaking out.

" _What?!_ " Pansy shrieked. "Call a different name, you deranged old hat!"

"Miss. Parkinson," Snape said in a low warning tone.

"This is impossible! _Me_ with _Potter_? Incredulous!" Pansy exclaimed. She took off the Hat and was about to throw it, until Dumbledore snatched it out of her hands.

"What's _incredulous_ is that she actually used a big word," Ginny whispered to Hermione, causing the two witches to silently giggle.

"I'm sorry Miss. Parkinson, but please go sit with Mr. Potter now," Dumbledore said smoothly.

It was then when Pansy, in front of everyone, fainted. She collapsed, nearly hitting her head on the stool. And it was then when Harry said his first words since his name was called.

"Oh bloody hell."

* * *

After Pansy was taken to the Hospital Wing by Harry himself, the sorting continued. Ginny couldn't stop shaking as she watched couples get matched together. Eventually the only last two unmatched Gryffindors were Dean and her.

"Maybe it'll be us," Dean said to her with a shrug. "At least we'd know each other."

Ginny nodded and sent Dean a nervous smile. Even though they were Ex's, she felt more comfortable being with someone she knew. But when Dean's name was called, Ginny sighed and leaned on Hermione for support.

"I'll be with a random bloke I don't even know," she mumbled. "This is what happens when I listen to you, 'Mione. You convinced me to take this class, and now I'm going to be a mother at the age of sixteen."

"Fake mother," Hermione corrected.

"To a fake child," Neville added.

"You won't be the last one called," Hannah piped in. "One of the other sixth year girls is the last."

There were only six unmatched students now. Ginny, two sixth year girls from Hufflepuff, a boy from Ravenclaw, Marcus Flint, and Blaise Zabini. One of the sixth years from Hufflepuff was called up. She got paired with Marcus Flint, who she seemed to be less than pleased with.

"Weasley, Ginevra!"

Ginny inhaled sharply and grabbed Hermione's hand. Her best friend squeezed her hand gently then nodded with a reassuring smile. Ginny took a deep breath then got up, letting go of Hermione's hand. She walked confidently to the Sorting Hat and placed it on. There were only to options for her. A Ravenclaw she knew nothing of, or a mysterious Slytherin she also knew nothing of.

"Zabini, Blaise!"

Blue eyes darted over to the Italian, gaging his reaction. Instead of grimacing or looking away, he merely stared back at her. And for a split second, Ginny could've sworn that she saw his lips twitch into a brief smile.

 **A/N Heyoo. I'm glad some of you are coming up with names for me already!**

 **Sorry that the plot is moving so slowly. But now that pairs are made, class will start and the babies will start causing problems! Thank you for reading and sorry for mistakes!**

 **Again, I'm thinking of starting a poll to have you guys vote for baby names. So send me some baby name ideas and specify which couple the names are for! So far I have suggested names for everyone but Ron and Lavender. Someone mention to name their child after a person in the Weasley family, which I'll look into.**

 **Lots of love and thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows!**

 **~KittyKat**


	8. Chapter 8

Once everyone was seated with their partners, Dumbledore continued on to talk about Parenting 101. His voice rang throughout the Great Hall with nothing but silence following. Hermione heard her own heartbeat from how quiet her peers were.

"You all will spend tonight in your new dorms. For gentlemen with the last names A to L, you and your partners will be escorted by the Head Boy, Mr. Draco Malfoy, to your dorm. This will be known as the East Wing Tower. Miss. Hermione Granger will escort those who are left to the West Wing Tower. Tomorrow, timetables will be given out. Partners will receive corresponding timetables.

"Parenting 101 will take place before Potions. It will be taught by Professor McMiggins, though she is unfortunately not here at the moment. You all will meet her tomorrow in class. The class will be broken down into three parts: Pregnancy, Adolescence, Puberty. Throughout this year you all will learn what it is like to raise a child. Once the year is over, your child will cease to exist."

A chill ran down Hermione's back at the last statement. It sounded too harsh to hear that her future child, real or not, would just disappear.

"Professor Snape will now explain how your child will be produced," Dumbledore said, taking a step back to let the raven haired professor come to attention.

Snape looked as bored as ever while he slightly glared at the students. His thin lips pressed to a line and his charcoal eyes looked just about dead with boredom. "The process is quite simplistic, so even those who...struggle...to grasp basic concepts will understand," he drawled, his eyes lingering on Harry. "Tomorrow, each of you will brew a potion. Once the potion has been brewed to perfection, all female students will ingest the potion and undergo the first part of class- Pregnancy."

A wave of shudders took over the majority of the girls. Hermione fidgeted in her seat frowned slightly. _This is definitely mad_ , she thought.

"Pregnancy will last only for three weeks. Once it is completed, a child made with DNA from both parents."

"It's not going to come out the normal way, is it?" blurted out a female Hufflepuff.

Several girls nodded, wondering the same thing- Would that have to go through actual labor?

Snape narrowed his eyes at the students before shaking his head. "Madam Pomfrey will cast a spell to put the potion in full effect. A light will appear and the sprogs will appear. After being measured and given a name, they will be sent to a nursery set up in the Hospital Wing. However, pregnancy and labor will feel real." The same Hufflepuff who had asked the question opened her mouth once more. "No more questions. Professor McMiggins speak of the rest. Now off to your dorms," Snape drawled.

 _How completely brief and Snape-like of him,_ Hermione thought. She looked at Dumbledore to see him beckoning her over, as well as Draco. She got up from her seat and walked to the Headmaster, not realizing how nervous she was until she felt her knees shake. But the moment she saw Malfoy, who seemed at ease with the whole ordeal, walk confidently to Dumbledore, Hermione mustered up all of her courage and willed herself to walk normally.

"I apologize for not mentioning any of this earlier, but the password for the East Wing Tower is Turnet Nosce. The West Wing Tower's is Veni Vidi Vici. When you both arrive at your dormitory, choose a password," Dumbledore said quietly. Then he cleared his throat and said," Please follow Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy to your designated dorms. Have a wonderful night."

* * *

Hermione arrived at the Heads' Dormitory before Malfoy. She didn't mind waiting, especially because it gave her a reason to study the portrait door. It was of a lioness and a serpent that seemed to be in an argument. The lioness was crouched, ready to pounce, but the serpent was circling around her in a predatory manner. Hermione felt compelled to tell the serpent to bug off and find another lioness to piss off. But she continued to watch their little dance of hisses and growls, not noticing that time was flying by.

It was only when her eyes felt heavy that Hermione knew something was wrong. She knew that she had been waiting for Malfoy for longer than necessary.

"Where is that prat?" Hermione asked herself. She sighed and looked at the portrait. The lioness and the serpent seemed to have heard her question, and the lioness roared loudly. Hermione covered ears and flinched at the sound.

Suddenly the portrait door swung open and a confused Draco Malfoy was staring at Hermione. "Well there you are!" he said accusingly. "What the bloody hell are you doing? Do you want to wake the whole damned castle?"

Hermione gaped at Draco, feeling annoyance bite at her. " _Excuse you?_ I was here waiting because I thought you were still out!" Hermione huffed. She crossed her arms and glared at the Slytherin. "And you were in there the whole time, without any regards as to how I would get in the dorm."

She marched towards the portrait door and pushed past Malfoy, too tired to argue any further. Hermione entered their dorm, and stepped foot into a fairly spacious common room. The walls were made of grey stone and the floor was a dark cherry wood floor. Two creme armchairs a matching love-seat were positioned around a fireplace. A staircase to the right of the common room came to Hermione's attention, and she saw that it led to an indoor balcony.

Hermoine made her way towards it, slightly awed at the beauty of the dormitory. Once she got up the stairs, she saw three doors. The first door was white with a gold handle. The second door was a light brown with a copper door knob. The last door was dark brown with a platinum knob.

"The password is Semper Paratus. First door is yours, the last one is mine. The middle one is the bathroom. Our rooms connect to it as well."

Hermione jumped at the sound of Malfoy behind her. He stared at her for a moment, slightly amused.

"Go to be, _Wifey_. It seems tomorrow will be a long day," Draco said with a slight smirk.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Don't _ever_ call me that," she seethed.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "What? _Wifey?_ "

Hermione cringed at the sound of the word and scrunched up her nose. "Piss off, Malfoy." She opened the door to her room and stepped in before slamming the door shut. Looking around the room, she saw that it was neutral, with plain wooden furniture and white walls. The bed was white and grey. Hermione knew that this would be her faux child's room. Which meant that she and Draco would share a room together.

The thought made Hermione's skin crawl, and she shuddered. Then she made her way to her trunk and pulled out a hair of yellow shorts and a large white shirt. She changed into the clothes and discarded the dirty ones into the hamper in the the corner of the room. Her feet felt cold on the wooden floor, but the room was warm overall.

Hermione found her toiletries and brought them with her to the bathroom. She noticed it was a bit smaller than her room but still big for a bathroom. The walls matched the common room but the floor was made of white and grey tiles. There was a toilet, shower, and a double sink. Hermione sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She began to brush her teeth and comb through her hair, starting her usual nightly routine.

Just as she was finishing, the door opposite to the one she came through opened, and Draco walked in. They made awkward eye contact before Hermione scurried out of the room and closed the door loudly behind her. She jumped into her new bed and covered her face with her hands.

"Tomorrow will definitely be a long day."

 **A/N Okay, I know. Short and crappy chapter. I've been busy and I'm not at my A-game. But I'm refusing to give up on this story. So...tada!**

 **Thank you for everyone who suggested baby names! I will be posting the polls soon! Visit my profile to vote for Hermione and Draco's child. On my profile will also be a link to a forum with the rest of the polls.**

 **And thank you to everyone else who has supported this story by reviewing, following, or favoriting. You guys are amazing!**

 **Sorry for any mistakes.**

 **~KittyKat**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hermione**

I opened my eyes and saw sunlight streaming through the window. The room was illuminated, giving a warm and welcoming feeling that made me want to fall back asleep. But instead, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up. I couldn't tell what time it was, but I knew it was still early. The sun seemed to have just woken up, and there was a stillness in the air.

I got out of bed, but nearly jumped back in when my feet touched the cold ground. I padded over to my trunk and grabbed my towel along with the toiletries I had forgotten about last night. Last night's interaction with Malfoy irked me enough. How dare he choose a password without me? How dare he let me wait outside like an idiot?

Malfoy...

I walked into the bathroom and hung my towel on one of the three hooks by the shower. I set my toiletries in the shower then locked all of the doors incase Malfoy came in. Then I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the shower.

The moment the warm water hit my skin, I sighed and relaxed. The day had yet to begin, and like Malfoy said last night, today would be long. I wanted to start the day off happy at least, even though I knew my mood would turn sour the moment I laid eyes on Malfoy. As I washed my hair and scrubbed my body clean, I wondered what it would be like to be a mother. My hand touched my stomach and I bit my lip. Would I be a caring mother? Would I be too strict? Would my child even like me?

Suddenly a loud banging on the bathroom door caused me to jump in surprise. My heart began to race as I took deep breaths to calm myself.

"Granger, hurry the hell up! I have to use the loo!" came an annoyed tone.

I rolled my eyes and continued to shower, disregarding Malfoy. My silence only caused him to knock on the door even louder. I could hear his frustrated growl through the sound of the shower.

"Granger, I'm serious! Get out of the bloody shower!"

"Maybe you should have woken up earlier!"

"That's it!" Malfoy snapped. "You brought this on yourself."

I frowned. "What-"

"Alohomora."

The bathroom door slammed open and I could hear Malfoy enter the room with heavy stomps. I shrieked and covered my body with my arms, even though he couldn't see me through the curtain.

"Malfoy, get out of here!"

"Oh sod off, Granger."

I mentally groaned as he used the loo whilst I was in the shower, only a meter away.

"I told you to get out," Malfoy said once he flushed the toilet. I could hear him washing his hands. "Now hurry up before I decide to join you in the shower, Wifey."

My hands curled into tight fists, but before I could respond, he left the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I turned off the water and wrung out my hair before grabbing my towel to dry off. I rushed out of the bathroom, gathering my discarded clothes and throwing it into a hamper in the corner of my room.

I dried off and changed into my uniform: a grey skirt that came a few inches above my knees, a white blouse, a red and gold striped tie, and my robe. I glanced in the mirror above my chest of drawers, and ran my hand through my hair. My hair was still damp, and too much of a mess to brush through. I combed through my hair with my fingers and tried to make myself look presentable.

Once I finished getting ready, and I had all of my books and belongings, I left for the Great Hall. Malfoy was still in the shower when I left, and I was glad to avoid him.

"Hermione!"

Harry and Ron waved frantically for me to come over. Next to Ron sat Lavender, who was already gossiping about something with the Patil twins. I sat down next to Neville and Hannah, across from Harry and Ron.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"They've got her, 'Mione. Taken her to the dark side, they did," Neville said, nodding towards the Slytherin table.

I looked past Harry's shoulder and saw Ginny, who was sitting next to Blaise. She was quietly eating as the others around her talked. Luna was beside her, next to Theo. Ginny's eyes looked up, as if sensing that I was looking at her, and she suddenly said something to Blaise. He looked up to glance at me, then he nodded. Ginny got up and made her way to the Gryffindor table, ignoring the looks she got from some of the underclassmen.

"Morning Hermione," Ginny said, forcing a smile. She gave a small wave to everyone else. Neville and Hannah chirped their good mornings and continued to eat, whilst Harry sent her a kind smile. Ron, however, decided to ignore her. Ginny's smile faltered at that, and I felt my anger spike at Ron.

I kicked Ron from under the table, causing him to yelp. He sent me a glare and I glared right back. "Don't be so rude, Ronald," I snapped. Then I turned back to Ginny. "Good morning, Gin."

"Would you like to sit with Luna and me? It'd make sense to sit with us, since Malfoy's a Slytherin, yeah?" Ginny asked hopefully.

I could tell that she wanted me to come with. I couldn't just leave her and Luna alone as the hands of Slytherins. "Yeah," I agreed. "It makes sense."

Ron sent us an incredulous look. "Bullocks!"

Lavender gasped and slapped Ron's arm. "Ron, I love you, but I will not tolerate you using foul language while we eat! Apologize!"

I nearly laughed at the mortified look on Ron's face. Ron shook his head and tried to say something, but Lavender sent him a hard glare. Suddenly she whispered something to him, and his face turned beet red.

"I'm sorry, Gin," he muttered, trying to hide his red face by eating a spoonful of oatmeal.

"What was that, Ron?" Ginny asked.

"I'm...sorry," Ron said louder. "And I won't repeat myself again."

Everyone but Ron laughed. I got up from my seat and sent Harry and Ron apologetic smiles. Then Ginny and I walked to the Slytherin table together. I sat down between Ginny and Luna, feeling more at ease being next to them.

"Parkinson is still in the Hospital Wing. Harry told me that she's refusing to leave," Ginny said.

"Has Dumbledore said anything about it?" I asked.

"I'm visiting her after breakfast to get her to come out," Blaise replied, surprising me a bit.

He was such a quiet person around those he wasn't comfortable with. I couldn't help but to wonder how things were between him and Ginny. I glanced over them for a moment and noticed that they were relatively close to each other. Neither of them looked tense.

"How was your night with Malfoy?" Luna asked.

Theo, who was in a conversation with a few other Slytherins, suddenly focused his attention on me. His blue eyes lit up like a child's on Christmas day. "Yes, Minnie," he began, his voice teasing, "how was your night with Malfoy?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively with a goofy smile.

"Quit it," I laughed. "You look like a creep."

Theo gasped and placed his hand dramatically on his heart. "How could my gorgeous face ever look like a creep's? Luna, Darling, please tell Hermione that I'm not a creep."

"Well I would, but then I'd be lying," Luna giggled.

Ginny and I laughed softly at that, and Blaise looked at Luna in amusement. Theo pouted and crossed his arms. If only more Slytherins were as playful as Theo. Perhaps _then_ I wouldn't detest most of them.

"What's so funny?" asked an all to familiar voice from behind me.

I jumped in surprise, and turned around to see Malfoy. He was wearing his uniform, with his tie loose and hair slightly tousled. Instead of looking like a disheveled mess, he looked...attractive.

"Nothing, mate. Do you think you and Mrs. Malfoy can start handing out timetables? I want to get mine before I leave to get Pansy," Blaise said smoothly, changing the topic.

Malfoy merely looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I nodded and got up from my seat. "Let's go then, Malfoy."

We walked over to Professor McGonagall, who had the timetables. The prefects had already given most of them out, which left Malfoy and I with the task of giving the timetables to those in our year.

"I don't get why they can't magically do this," Malfoy muttered. "This is just petty work for us to do."

"We can't rely on magic for everything, Malfoy."

After timetables were handed out, we returned to the Slytherin table. I still sat between Ginny and Luna but Draco sat directly across from me. We all began looking at our schedules, and to my misfortune, Malfoy was in almost all of my lessons. Parenting 101 seemed to be the only class I had with Ginny and Luna.

Breakfast was relatively peaceful, with Theo in charge of lighting up the mood. Quidditch was the main topic of conversation.

"Would our children be taught how to fly? After all, by the end of the year they'll be older than second years," Luna said.

There was a brief silence before Ginny said, "Whether they do or don't, I'll teach my son or daughter how to play quidditch."

"Well my child-" Theo paused to turn to Luna, "- _our_ child will be better than yours."

Suddenly an argument broke out between Theo and Ginny over their non-existent children. Blaise seemed to be enjoying the argument. Every time Ginny made a witty remark, he smirked and his eyes shined with amusement.

"You both are severely wrong," Malfoy suddenly said. He took a sip of his juice before saying, "My son would be better than your children combined."

His remark surprised me. I still hadn't thought of Malfoy as a father figure to our child. What would he be like? Would he still be a prat? Or only a prat to me, but be kind to our son or daughter?

"Excuse you?" Ginny said with a challenging tone.

"Oh don't get me wrong, I'm sure yours will be _exceptional_. But let's face it- with mine and Granger's brains, not to mention my devilishly good look, our son would be incomparable. And he's bound to be a natural at quidditch," Malfoy said haughtily.

" _He_ might be a _she_ ," Blaise pointed out.

"It's a _he,_ " Draco stated. His tone left no room for argument.

* * *

"What are your living quarters like?" I asked Ginny.

"It's much like a block of flats. We got to choose which flat, and the moment we chose, our names were engraved on a plaque by the door, next to the address. Inside is functional. There's a living room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom," Ginny replied.

We were walking to Parenting 101 together. We planned on walking with Harry and Ron, but Pansy was complaining to Harry about how she was going to sue Dumbledore, and Lavender was...well...being Lavender. After a mere few minutes with them, Ginny and I left without waiting for anyone else.

"Blaise and I actually talked," Ginny said quietly, as if she didn't want anyone but me to hear. "We made rules on our...relationship, if you'd like to call it that."

"Rules?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes. Rules and boundaries. We agreed that we'd act like husband and wife for our faux child. We even got on the topic of names for a moment. He wants an Italian name," she said softly. "You should talk to Malfoy about these things. It could help."

I sighed and bit my lip. "Perhaps," I murmured.

We walked into the new classroom, which was near the dungeons. The room smelled of sweet flowers and had a warm glow. There walls were covered in tapestries and motivational posters. At the front of the room was a woman who looked to be in her thirties. She had high cheek bones and wide blue eyes. Her hair was the color of honey and it fell in loose waves to her hips. A smile was plastered on her face as Ginny and I walked into the room.

"Merlin," Ginny whispered. "She's gorgeous."

"She's the Anti-Snape," I whispered back, unable to tear my eyes from the smiling woman.

"Hello! I'm Professor McMiggins. Please take a seat with your partners." She had an American accent and a soft tone to her voice.

Ginny and I sat by the front of the room, leaving two empty seats beside us. As more people piled into the room, I saw that many students stared at Professor McMiggins in awe. Malfoy and Blaise arrived with Luna and Theo. I kept staring at the door, waiting for Harry and Ron.

"No! I'm not stepping foot into that room!" came a shriek by the door.

 _Pansy_.

"Just get in the classroom, Pansy," I heard Harry say. "You're being a brat."

"I am _not_ being a brat!"

Ron and Lavender suddenly rushed into the room. They sat beside Luna and Theo, behind the rest of us. "Parkinson is mad," Ron huffed, his face slightly red. "She scratched my face!" He turned his head to the side to show three scratch marks on his jaw.

"Well what did you do?" Ginny asked accusingly.

Ron gaped at his sister, but it was Lavender who replied. "He called her dramatic for feinting yesterday," Lavender said. "He's not wrong, but..." She turned to Ron and shook her head. "You never say something like that to a mad woman."

Everyone's attention was suddenly turned to the door again, when Harry came into the room with Pansy in tow. His arm was wrapped around her waist while she was screeching and scratching his arm like a feral cat.

Harry dragged her to the two empty seats behind Ron and Lavender. His face was flushed, and his arm was covered in scratch marks. I grimaced at the sight of them and suppressed a shudder.

"Ahem," Professor McMiggins awkwardly coughed out. "You must be Mr. Potter. Professor Snape has told me quite a bit about you."

* * *

Professor McMiggins was a lively person. There were crinkles by her eyes from smiling so much, and she was always on her feet. She wasted no time in explaining what will happen during the course of the year.

"After today, every female in this room with be 'pregnant,'" Professor McMiggins said. "Three weeks from today, all of you will be parents. Your children will age a year every three weeks, and will live in your quarters with you. During the day when you all are at classes, your children will be in a Hospital Wing, where a day care will be set up. They will be taken care of by Madam Pomfrey and house elves. Once they are four years old, they will be sent to _me_ to be educated like normal children."

I couldn't stop myself from raising my hand.

"Yes, Miss. Granger?"

"Will they be witches and wizards as well?" I asked.

"Excellent question!" McMiggins praised. "The children will develop magical capabilities, and it will be all of your responsibilities to keep them from acting up. They will show a substantial amount of interest in magic, and must be raised to learn to control it.

"A store has been set up in Hogsmeade. In that store, there will be all the necessities you need to raise your children. Cribs, clothing, etcetera. Here is the catch- the store only accepts this." Professor McMiggins raised a rectangular slip of paper in the air. It was green and had pictures on it, but the pictures did not move. There was a number in each corner of the paper. "Does anyone know what it is?"

Before I could raise my hand, Malfoy answered. "American muggle currency."

"Correct, but this one has been modified." She showed us one side of the paper and on it was Dumbledore's face. "You all will now be paid based on your school performance. Just like how you would be paid for working. Every three weeks, each of you will receive payment for your studies and be allowed a trip to Hogsmeade. There, you will be able to buy new necessities for your children."

For the rest of class, she went on telling us about the pregnancy. I was almost glad to leave class, actually. I felt sick from the thought of going through labor pains.

When we were dismissed from class, I was reluctant to leave. But Malfoy grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the dungeons.

"Hurry up, Sweetheart," he drawled with an eye roll. "We have to go make a baby."

 **A/N Thank you guys for all of the votes on baby names. For all of you who haven't voted yet- WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? The polls are still up and will stay up until the 'children' are born.**

 **Thank you for all of the support! Sorry for any mistakes. Especially if I switched from past to present tense.**

 **What did you think about Hermione's perspective?**

 **Thanks again!**

 **~KittyKat**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Just a head's up, I wrote this on my phone so if there's a lot of mistakes, you guys know why.**

Hermione felt a sense of dread as she got closer to the dungeons with Draco. She kept close to Ginny and Luna, but the platinum haired Slytherin was always there. His presence alone reminded her that she was stuck with him for the rest of the year.

As they entered the potions room, the temperature dropped several degrees, contrasting against the warmness of Professor McMiggins's room. Snape stood at the front of the room with an impassive look. He was straight forward with the class, and ordered for everyone to get with their partners and begin their potion. McMiggins was next to him, smiling brightly.

"No time must be wasted. Simply follow the instructions. Professor McMiggins and I will be around to help."

On every table was a copy of the potion. Hermione read over it, wondering what ingredients would be used to impregnate her. Much to her horror, one of the ingredients was the spit and hair of each counterpart. Draco, however, was already working on the potion diligently.

He was good at potions and took pride in it. It was also the only class he didn't mind. "Get to work, Granger. It takes two people to make a baby."

Hermione didn't miss the double meaning behind his words. "Piss off, Malfoy."

They worked on the potion without another word to each other. After a few minutes, they were working in sync. It was as if they could tell what the other was doing, and what they needed to do next. While Hermione would stir the yellow looking potion, Draco would prepare the next ingredients. Magic practically flared from around them.

A few times, other students would stop to watch them in awe. For two people who hated each other, they worked well together. Even Snape, who was doubtful of the pair's success, found himself thinking of them as a good pair. Though, he cursed the thought and shook it from his mind.

"Oh Severus, look at how wonderful they are," McMiggins said happily.

Snape pursed his lips and said nothing to the witch at first. After a moment of silence he said, "They will tear each other's throats out by the end of the month."

McMiggins scoffed. "Those two may not get along sometimes but that is only because they cannot see past their old differences."

"Or because they hate each other."

"Severus!"

Snape sighed and began to walk around the room to get away from McMiggins. He was rather impressed at most of the students. They seemed to grasp the instructions well enough. Though just because he felt like being in a foul mood, he deducted ten points from Gryffindor because Seamus' potion was not the right shade of yellow.

"It's alright, mate," Harry said from a table nearby.

"Potty, stop talking and keep working," Pansy said as she leaned on the table and inspected her nails.

Harry rolled his eyes at her. He couldn't help but to feel like he had it worse than Hermione. At least her partner bothered to help, unlike Pansy who refused to do anything. Harry looked at the next step, which was to add the spit and hair of both partners. He spat in the potion and plucked out a hair before dropping it into the yellow liquid.

Pansy looked at him, disgusted and horrified. "Why the bloody hell did you do that?!" She watched as the potion turned into a pinkish hue.

"It says right there that that's what we have to do. Come on, Parkinson- spit and add a hair. It'll be the only thing you contributed in," Harry bit out in an annoyed tone. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione and Draco finish their potion.

"No way in hell-"

Harry grabbed a stray strand of her hair and pulled it out before Pansy could comprehend what had happened. To say she was upset would be an understatement. Pansy screamed bloody murder and slapped Harry across the face. Harry rolled his eyes and rubbed his cheek. He added her hair to the potion and watched as the potion became a darker shade of pink.

"Just spit into the potion, Parkinson."

Pansy clamped her mouth shut and crossed her arms. Harry groaned and resisted the urge to bang his head on the table. He stared at the pink potion, wondering what to do. When an idea finally came to mind, Harry was reluctant to act on it.

But when Blaise and Ginny finished their potion, he knew he had to get it over with. Mustering his Gryffindor courage, Harry gently grabbed Pansy's face and kissed her.

It wasn't a quick peck or a deep passionate kiss, but it was something. The whole class watched in shock as Harry kissed the girl he couldn't stand. But then, in an ungraceful manner, he spat into the potion, adding a mix of his and Pansy's saliva.

It came to no surprise when she slapped him once more, but Harry could care less. The potion was finished.

"Potter needs to learn to keep his hands to himself," Draco hissed out. Although he had no romantic feelings towards Pansy, he cared for her as a friend. He felt the urge to pummel Harry for forcing himself onto her.

"Parkinson needs to learn to do her work. Harry was just trying to finish the potion that she refused to help with," Hermione said defensively.

Draco rolled his eyes. "That's your excuse for Saint Potter?" Draco suddenly reached out and grabbed Hermione by her waist. He pulled her flush against his body and cupped her cheek with one hand. He leaned down till their noses barely touched. "If I kissed you now and made an excuse, I bet you'd be mad no matter what I'd say," he said in a low voice.

Hermione's breath hitched in her throat, which did not go unnoticed by Draco. Her lips parted to say something, but no words came out. Her eyes were large as she stared up at Draco. After a few seconds, she remembered who she was and who _he_ was.

Hermione pulled herself away from Malfoy and stared at their potion. But all that was on her mind was the intensity of Draco's eyes.

* * *

Of course, it was Hermione who was the first to ingest the potion. The pink liquid smelled like smoke and had a bitter taste. Ginny took it next, then Hannah. Pansy ended up being the last, but only because she kept refusing to drink the potion. It wasn't until Harry threatened to force it down her throat when she drank it.

"Every two days is a month of the pregnancy. With this being said, symptoms of nasea and fatigue may show in a majority of you ladies in these next couple of days. By your sixth day, you may feel and see a difference," McMiggins said.

Pansy though, claimed that she felt sick already, then feinted on the spot like she had done the previous night. Harry's quick reflexes barely caught Pansy before her head hit the edge of the table.

"I'll take her to the Hospital Wing," Harry grumbled as he carried Pansy in his arms.

While Harry took Pansy to the Hospital Wing, McMiggins proceeded to talk more about the pregnancy. Hermione, being the dutiful student she was, listened to every word as if her life depended on it.

Draco merely relaxed and blocked out the professor's voice. He looked at Hermione and took in her natural beauty. She truly wasn't gorgeous like Ginny. Ginny's beauty was easily recognizable. But Hermione was different.

Hermione's beauty was one where you'd have to look to notice. Her features were soft and feminine. Her lips were full and pink...

Draco tore his eyes from Hermione, realizing that he had been staring. But unfortunately for him, someone had caught him in the act.

 _Perfect,_ Ginny thought as she watched Draco try to listen to whatever McMiggins was saying. _I can't wait to tell Fred._

* * *

 **A/N**

 *****Due to some technological errors, I can't access my computer or internet at certain times. For now I'll be on my phone updating when I can. This means-shorter chapters and more mistakes but I might update faster.**

 **Thank you for reading and thank you for those who followed, favorited, and reviewed. AND thank you to those who voted on baby names. I don't know if I said this but- thank you to everyone who suggested names!**

 **~KittyKat**


	11. Chapter 11

The next few days for Hermione, as well as for many other female students, was brutal. Nausea plagued throughout the faux-impregnated students. Draco almost felt bad for Hermione. _Almost._ He figured that the witch needed a bit of suffering to compensate for the headaches she and the rest of the Golden Trio gave him over the years.

"This is awful," Ginny moaned as she began to eat. "I feel like I'm showing already. Am I showing?" The red haired witch stared at her flat stomach and squinted.

"You're still thin, Love," Blaise commented.

Hermione nodded, but she moved her hand to her stomach, wondering the same as Ginny. Though when she felt an elbow jab her side, her hand fell. Hermione looked at Draco, who was eating his porridge with an innocent look.

"You're still skinny too, Granger," he muttered so only she could hear.

For a moment, Hermione thought that Draco was being nice for once. But as she reached for a piece of buttered toast, she immediately knew she thought wrong.

"Keep eating like that though and you'll show soon enough."

Hermione elbowed Draco's side and glared at him. He sent her a smirk in return and winked.

"Only kidding, of course."

She took a bite of the toast and chewed slowly, wondering what Draco's next comment would be. To her surprise, he didn't speak.

"So what do you think, 'Mione?"

Hermione looked at Ginny, confused as to what she was talking about. "Sorry, what did you say?" Hermione asked sheepishly.

"McMiggins moved the Hogsmeade trip to next week so we can shop before the babies come. Would you like to come with Luna and me to shop?" Ginny asked.

"She can't."

Everyone looked at Draco.

"We have to start planning the Halloween Ball already."

Hermione silently cursed and sighed. She had forgotten about the ball. "Right. Sorry Gin."

"So who will do the shopping then?" Luna questioned. "One of you has to shop or else you'll have to wait for the next Hogsmeade trip."

"Yeah, Malfoy. Just work on the planning this weekend," Ginny said.

Draco shrugged, but Hermione took it as an okay. She shrugged as well and for the rest of breakfast, neither of them acknowledged each other. The past few days had been awkward for the two. Ever since their close interaction in potions, Hermione tried to avoid Draco and Draco did the same.

But it was now Friday, meaning they had no choice but to confront each other over the weekend. During classes, they didn't speak. Hermione spoke with Harry and Ron like she always did in the past to avoid Draco.

"Pansy is awful," Harry moaned. "She's like a child herself- always demanding and complaining."

Ron patted Harry's back in sympathy. "Well Lav has gone mad," Ron admitted. "She's been suggesting names. Hellbent on Cherry for a girl, she is." Ron shook his head. "You can't name a child Cherry! Especially if it ends up with red hair! I can't have my daughter facing that kind of humiliation."

Hermione couldn't help but to laugh. She shook her head at the thought. "Well what if you have a boy?"

"Ron Jr." Ron muttered. "Lavender claimed that it would only give her more 'Won-Wons'"

Harry and Hermione howled with laughter.

"Oh, mate," Harry began, "that might be worse than Pansy."

Then the two guys turn to Hermione to see what her problems with Draco were. Hermione flushed slightly and said, "Malfoy and I stay out of each other's business."

Harry frowned at that. "That's not good, 'Mione. Pans and I argue a lot but we still communicate. You and Malfoy should talk."

Hermione thought about her discussion with Ginny a few days ago. Ginny had said the same thing. And talking must have helped Blaise and Ginny because they were already comfortable around each other.

"I'll talk to him tonight," Hermione said.

* * *

Hermione and Draco sat in their common room, working on homework. Parchments were sprawled everywhere, and the room was quiet except for the sound of quills scribbling. A few times Hermione stopped to look at Draco, and he stopped to look back. But after a few seconds, they resumed working in silence.

"Is this what being married to you would be like?" Draco suddenly asked. He raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "The school-girl glances and awkward silences."

Hermiome blushed. "No Malfoy."

"I hope not. Our son doesn't need a daft mother," Draco said.

"What if we have a girl?" Hermione asked. She was intrigued in what his answer would be.

Draco scoffed and placed his quill down. "Malfoys always have sons first."

"I'm not a Malfoy," Hermione pointed out.

"Well obviously," Draco muttered. He looked at Hermione from head to toe then clicked his tongue. "Malfoys tend to be a bit more..." Draco waved his hand in the air. "Attractive."

He was lying. Not about Malfoys being attractive, but implying that Hermione did not meet their standards. Draco remembered how she looked in _Roar_ and the memory of her that night flooded his mind.

She had gotten high then began dancing with Theo. Draco remembered how annoyed he was at Theo for holding Hermione in his arms. That was when he did something that was questionable to say the least-

Draco casted a spell on Hermione that gave her a fever for a few hours. The moment Hermione passed out, the Weaslette took her home and away from Nott. He had lied and said Hermione's blood purity was the issue. But only he knew the truth.

"Excuse you," Hermione gasped. She took a piece of parchment and crumbled it up before throwing it at his face.

Draco gaped at the witch, appalled that she had the nerve to throw a mere paper at him. He threw the ball of parchment back at her, and it hit her forehead.

Suddenly they were thrown into a fight. Parchment was sent flying everywhere. Hermione and Draco were on their feet, ducking and dodging the other's attacks. But when parchment became too bland, Hermione threw one of the pillows on the loveseat at Draco.

A pillow fight arose from the attack. They were both laughing as they acted like children. Their hearts raced with every breath they took. Their robes had been discarded somewhere on the floor. Draco had a real smile on his face and Hermione's face was slightly flushed.

Draco took a pillow and was prepared to wack Hermione's side with it, until he tripped on one of the robes and fell. Hermione doubled over laughing as the great Draco Malfoy fell with nonexistent grace. The Slytherin Prince glared playfully at her then reached out to grab Hermione's ankle. He pulled roughly, sending her on her arse.

"Malfoy!" Hermione pouted.

"It's your fault for laughing at me."

"Well maybe you shouldn't have fallen!"

"I can't believe you laughed at an injured student."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "My dearest apologies," she drawled sarcastically.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Was that sarcasm?"

"Of course not. I, a mere muddleborn, would _never_ be sarcastic towards a _well mannered_ pureblood such as yourself," Hermione said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I humbly apologize for giving you that impression."

A lazy smile crossed Draco's features and he laid on his side with one arm propping up his torso. "Well since you apologized..."

"You're such prat, Malfoy."

"A devilishly good looking prat."

Hermione snorted. "You're decent at best," she lied.

"Don't lie to yourself Granger. We all know you're attracted to me," Draco said cockily. "It's pretty hard not to be."

"Your ego deluges your judgement. Trust me- there's nothing to be attracted to," Hermione denied hotly. She stuck her chin out and held her head high. "I've seen far better in Knockturn Alley."

In an instant, Draco was above Hermione. His arms supported his weight as he stared down from above her small frame. Hermione's eyes widened and her lips parted in a silent gasp. Draco leaned down slightly to brush his nose against her.

"Liar," he whispered.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat and all comprehensive thoughts escaped her mind. Draco was staring down at her with burning grey eyes. The light from the nearby fireplace caused his features to become more intense.

"W-what are you doing?" Hermione stuttered. Her honey eyes were wide and dialated.

Draco continued to look down at the beautiful witch underneath him. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest- a feeling he never got from being near a girl before. There was a constriction against his slacks and Draco held back a groan as the tent in his slacks grew.

Draco got off of Hermione and stood up with his back towards her. "I'm taking a break. We can discuss Halloween Ball plans later tonight or tomorrow." Then he strode over to the portrait door and left, wanting to escape Hermione.

The witch merely stared after him as he left, confusion etched on her face. "What the bloody hell just happened?"

* * *

"So he just left?" Ginny asked will a bewildered look. "Malfoy must be dense."

Hermione sighed. "He is such a moody person, Gin."

"Perhaps he fancies you."

Laughter bubbled from Hermione, filling Ginny and Blaise's bedroom. "You're joking, right?" Hermione laughed harder. "Malfoy fancying me?"

"Well it sounds like he does! And it sounds like you might fancy him too," Ginny said stubbornly. "And don't think I didn't see the looks you sent him during classes this week!"

Embarrassment washed over Hermione. "I did not send him looks," she scoffed.

"Oh don't get your knickers in a twist with your lies," Ginny brushed off. She waved her hands in the air, making weird gestures. "Malfoy gives you looks when you aren't paying attention too. Honestly it's like watching a bunch of five year olds with crushes."

Hermione huffed and crossed her arms. She fidgeted from her spot on the bed and tried to change the subject. "I thought you and Blaise were sleeping in separate rooms until the baby came."

Ginny's focus changed onto her relationship with the Italian. "We were- at first. But I figured that if we start sharing a room now, it wouldn't be a big adjustment for when the baby comes."

"Already though? You've known each other for less than a week."

"But it doesn't feel that way," Ginny explained. "We talk to each other a lot. We just have a connection. And Blaise...I trust him enough to know he wouldn't hurt me."

Hermione couldn't stop the envy that ate at her. She plastered a smile on her face and gave Ginny a short hug. "That's great, Ginny."

"Have you talked to Malfoy yet?"

"No..."

"Good." Ginny suddenly got off her bed and walked to the trunk near the window. She rummaged through the trunk for a moment before pulling out a single sheet of paper.

"Mum told me about this muggle who believed that these questions could make you fall in love with a person," Ginny said, handing the paper to Hermione.

Hermione took the paper and scanned over it with a skeptical look. "You don't believe this, do you?"

"Try it with Malfoy. Maybe it'll help."

"Well I don't want to fall in love with him!"

"Why not?" Ginny whined. "You two are such a good pair! Just try it, 'Mione. Take a risk for once."

Hermione sighed and ran her hand through her hair. _Take a risk for once._

 **A/N Hi! Thanks for reading and I apologize for mistakes. I'm still using my phone. Thank you to everyone who has voted on the polls, reviewed, followed, and favorited.**

 **I hope you liked the chapter!**

 **~KittyKat**


	12. Chapter 12

When Hermione came back to the dorm, the crushed up parchments had been thrown out and the pillows were on the loveseat. Draco was working diligently, as if nothing had happened three hours ago. But when he heard her walk into the room, he looked up with his stormy eyes.

"We need to talk," they said in unison.

Hermione's honey eyes widened by a fraction and Draco raised his eyebrows.

"Well sit down then Granger," Draco drawled after awhile of them staring at each other. "Or are we going to have a conversation with you standing over there?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and walked over to one of the armchairs. She sat down and faced Draco.

"We need to discuss our relationship."

"We need to decide on a band."

They both spoke at the same time about two very different things. Hermione's mind was wrapped around the fact that she was stuck with Malfoy for the year. Draco's mind was focused on which band to hire for the ball.

"Or talk about our relationship..." Draco muttered awkwardly. He sprawled himself over the loveseat and linked his fingers behind his head. "What do you want to discuss, Granger?"

Hermione bit her lip hesitantly before saying, "We both know we'll have to act like a couple for everyone. Especially for our child."

"Fake child," Draco corrected.

"But still our child." Hermione sighed and ran her hand through her tangled hair. "We need to reach some common ground."

"Like?"

"Like...Not seeing other people while we're 'together'," Hermione said, using her fingers as air quotes. "Our child can not have a bad influence in his or her life."

Draco snorted at the incredulous thought. He was a teenage boy still. A hormonal teenage boy, who had most of the female population at Hogwarts vying for his attention.

"Granger, I know you're a prude, but-"

"I am not a prude!" Hermione exclaimed. She glared at the Slytherin Prince and crossed her arms. She huffed then pursed her lips together. Hermione was a virgin- everyone knew that out of assumption. But there were moments when the Gryffindor Princess was not a delicate pure flower.

There had been Viktor, who made her feel wanted for the first time. They had snogged a bit, and even though nothing had ever gotten far, they certainly weren't innocent. And there had been a muggle bloke over the summer she took interest in. It was her neighbor, Charles, who she used to fancy before she came to Hogwarts. They had gone out on a few dates and they snogged... _a lot_.

"Granger, you blush at the slightest things. I bet you can't even handle a bit of dirty talk," Draco challenged. He smirked at Hermione and waited for her response.

"Try me."

Malfoy froze. _What?_ he inwardly asked. Had the Gryffindor Princess, the brains of the Golden Trio, actually tell him to talk dirty to her? Draco looked at Hermione, gaging her reaction, and saw that she was now staring at him with blazing eyes. She looked the same as the time she dueled with Goyle in Defense of the Dark Arts.

"Cat got your tongue, Malfoy?" Hermione questioned. This time, it was her turn to smirk. She watched in triumph as Malfoy gave her a bewildered look. "I know as a hormonal teenager with no self control, it'll be hard not to shag anything that moves," Hermione began, "but monogamy is a serious thing to me."

He rolled his eyes at Granger's ridiculous rule. "You expect for me not to shag others. Understood, Granger," Draco drawled.

Hermione nodded. "We'll be monogamous."

"So..." Draco looked at Hermione dead in the eyes. A mischievous look crossed his features. "...the only girl I can shag is you."

The witch's jaw dropped. "No! I mean, technically _yes_ but- No!" Hermione stuttered. "I'd never- _you'd_ never- we're not going to- I would never shag you!"

Draco snorted at the incredulousness of her statement. He was _Draco Malfoy_. He was rich, intelligent, and exceptionally attractive. Not only that but he was confident in his influence over girls. "Granger, I could have you _begging_ for me by next Friday." He got up from his position on the loveseat then took two strides over to Hermione.

Hermione stood up as well and held her hear high, even though she was still significantly shorter than Draco. "Is that a challenge?"

Draco chuckled. The deep, velvety sound made Hermione question if she was impervious to his charms. The sound of his chuckle alone sounded sexual. Draco leaned down till his nose was nearly touching Hermione's. He deliberately brush his nose against hers, causing her to gasp. Draco grabbed her waist and pulled her flush against his body. Hermione felt something tug at her core as her soft flesh met the toned muscles hidden under Malfoy's clothing. With one hand, Draco brushed her hair back, exposing the tender spot between her neck and collarbone. Then, leaning down even further, he placed a short soft kiss on her neck.

Hermione's lips parted but no sound came out. Her mind became a blur. It was like three hours ago, when Malfoy had been on top of her. She couldn't gather her thoughts or comprehend anything but the overwhelming wave of...pleasure?

Another kiss was pressed into her neck, but this time, Hermione audibly gasped. The sound compelled Draco to kiss her skin again. She smelled so sweet-like vanilla. He couldn't help himself. He nipped at her skin and smirked as a small hum of satisfaction came from Hermione. "All you have to say is yes," Draco murmured. "Say yes, and I'll do what the other useless blokes couldn't." He sucked softly on her neck, and Hermione whimpered. Draco broke contact with Hermione's bared out neck and brushed his lips against her ear. "I'll show you exactly what it's like to lose yourself in pleasure," he whispered roughly.

Hermione felt her body screaming for her to say yes. But instead, she just smirked and reached up to grab Malfoy's tie. She pulled him down to be at her level, slightly choking him. Then she brushed her lips against Draco's, and looked at him through her long lashes. "I think you need me more than I need you," she whispered teasingly. "What makes you think you can get me to actually say yes? A few neck kisses?" It was Hermione's turn to chuckle. "Oh, Draco Malfoy," she murmured, her voice low and sweet like honey, "you'll have to try a lot harder than that."

 _Take a risk for once._

 **A/N So this chapter is really short and I'm sorry. But recently I've been diagnosed with anxiety and depression (I'm not saying this for pity). Every time I tried to write, things just ended up dark and I didn't want that, so I spent a lot of time writing and rewriting then ended up with the short chapter above.**

 **I'm still updating, nothing will change, but I think you guys deserve to know why I'm not being consistent in my chapters and uploading often. Sometimes I just get into "Episodes" where all I can think of is darkness so I try to spend time clearing my mind before writing.**

 **Thank you to those who continue to support me. When I say thank you, I really to mean it. I read every review and see every follow or favorite.**

 **Sorry for any mistakes!**

 **~KittyKat**


	13. Chapter 13

**BLAISE AND GINNY**

"Are you alright, Love?" Blaise asked as he looked at the frowning witch sitting next to him on their bed. He frowned as well, feeling uneasy with Ginny upset. He placed his book on the nightstand beside him without bothering to mark the page then turned his whole body to face his...his _close friend._

"I'm okay," Ginny said truthfully. "I'm just thinking about Hermione and Draco."

Blaise smirked and reached out to hold the red haired witch's hand. He raised her hand to his lips and grazed her knuckles with a ghost of a kiss. "Don't worry about them. Granger-"

" _Hermione_ ," Ginny corrected.

Blaise smiled apologetically. " _Hermione_ and Draco are still hung up on the past. They'll get over it. I even talked to Draco like you asked."

Ginny's eyes lit up and she smiled brightly, causing Blaise to look at her in adoration. "Really? What did you say to him?"

"Long story short- I told him to use his charm on her."

Ginny gaped at Blaise, torn between amusement and horror. "You told Draco to seduce Hermione?!"

"Yes," Blaise said simply. "What did you say to Hermione?"

The witch blushed and pursed her lips together. She had told her best friend to make Draco fall in love with her. She never thought of Hermione and Draco _going at it._ Luna had brought up the topic over the summer and it was uncomfortable to everyone. Ginny merely mentioned the topic of shagging as a way to tease Hermione in the past.

"Weaslette, what did you tell your best friend?" Blaise asked with an intrigued tone.

"Um..."

"'Um' is not a coherent response."

Ginny's face turned as red at her hair. "I told her to fall in love with Draco and to get him to reciprocate her feelings," she squeaked out.

A thunderous laugh left Blaise. He looked truly amused. His eyes were closed and his head was throne back as laughter racked through his body. " _Love_? You encouraged _love_ for a relationship that was built on _hate_? Ginny, that's a bit hasty," Blaise said.

"I wasn't thinking! I just want them to be together already. They're so perfect if they'd just realize it." Ginny huffed and covered her face with her hands. She threw herself back so her head hit the soft pillow that waited to cushion her fall.

Blaise laughed again with mirth, then gently grabbed Ginny's wrists. He pulled her hands away from her face then leaned to tower slightly over her. He couldn't help but to smile at the sight of her all flushed and embarrassed. Blaise never expected to be to gentle with the Weaslette, but something about her made him want to care for her. At first, Blaise blamed it on the parenting class, and told himself that it was just because Ginny was carrying his faux child.

But then they talked for hours on end about things he had only vaguely talked about with Draco. They had laughed and cried in front of each other during their late night talks. On Wednesday, they had talked in their current room, which used to only be Blaise's. It was late, and they were both tired, but neither could will themselves to sleep. But then the candles went out and they were left in the darkness. Ginny had laid down next to Blaise and began to tell the story of the time she first flew on a broom at the Burrow. Her voice was soft and quiet, and slowly, towards the end of the story, she fell asleep, curled up next to him. Blaise had tried to carry her to her room, but when he slid his arm under her sleeping form to pick her up, she clung to him like glue. Her arm was on his chest and her leg draped over his. So he stayed there, and fell asleep a few minutes later.

It was that night, just two nights ago, when Blaise knew- he wanted Ginny. He wanted her in a way that was indescribable. He wanted her to be in his arms every night when he slept and every morning when he woke. And he knew that Ginny wasn't ready to go further than sleeping with each other. Just _sleeping_. No snogging or shagging. Just _sleep_ and he was content with that.

"You look at me like that a lot," Ginny suddenly murmured, snapping Blaise out of his thoughts.

"Like what?" Blaise asked.

"Like you want to snog me senseless," Ginny whispered.

Blaise's lips parted in surprise.

"It's okay, you know," Ginny said softly. "You can kiss me."

Blaise leaned down, watching Ginny's expression as their lips got closer. But instead of kissing her on the lips, Blaise kissed her nose, then gave her a playful grin. "Ginny Weasley," he said, "when I kiss you for the first time, _kissing_ will be the only innocent thing we'll do."

* * *

 **HARRY AND PANSY**

"Potter, this is getting old," Pansy huffed as she barged into Harry's room. She held up the shirt Harry had worn the other day. "You keep leaving your clothes around the place, and it's filthy! Is it that hard to put your dirty clothes in the hamper?" Pansy said as she looked up, only to see Harry's bare back.

He was shirtless, wearing only sweatpants. The muscles in his back were on full display for Pansy to secretly admire. And when Harry turned around to face her, Pansy was met with a toned broad chest. Harry did not have hard abs like she knew Blaise and Draco had. He had an outline of them that formed a 'v' towards his pelvis. And his skin was neither tan like Blaise nor pale like Draco, but fair. He wasn't anything like the two guys Pansy had spent her life with.

He was...better. Harry had yet to do anything _horrible_ towards her. And he wasn't a complete prat.

"Oh, sorry," Harry said, oblivious to the fact that Pansy was checking him out. He walked over to Pansy and grabbed the shirt. He tossed it into the growing pile of dirty clothes in the corner of his room.

Pansy scrunched up her nose in discuss. "Potter, you must be joking. Just because you spend your summer in a pigsty, doesn't mean your room has to be one."

"The house elves will take care of it," Potter said. "They tend to do that."

"Well look at the rest of your room. You have things scattered everywhere!" Pansy exclaimed. A piece of parchment lying halfway under Harry's bed caught her eye. Pansy walked over to it and picked it up. "Isn't this the essay you had to turn in this morning?"

Harry shrugged sheepishly, causing Pansy to roll her eyes. "If we're living together for the year, this needs to change," Pansy said seriously. "Clean your room."

"Turning into a Mom already I see," Harry commented jokingly.

"Potter..."

Harry sighed and looked around his disorganized room. "Parkinson..."

Pansy sat on Harry's unmade bed and shook her head. "I'm not leaving this room until you clean this mess."

Harry decided to obey the witch. He had nothing better to do anyways. As he began to put dirty clothes in the hamper and throw away useless parchments and trash. He began to hum a tune as he tidied up his room. Little by little, the mess became nonexistent.

All dirty clothes were in their respective place. All parchments were in order and placed on his chest of drawers. The room became less cluttered and resembled the cleanness of Pansy's room. All there was left was to make his bed.

Harry turned towards the bed, ready to tell Pansy to get off it, but then he saw the young witch fast asleep. Harry's face softened as he looked at her. Pansy's dark hair fanned out from underneath her. She looked so peaceful and so much kinder in her sleep. Over the years, she had become less pug-faced but still stayed annoying. Yet Harry had witnessed moments that few were able to see.

Like on the day the female students had become 'pregnant', Pansy had broken down in her room and cried that night. Harry had heard her cries when he went to use the loo. He felt bad for her. He couldn't imagine what it'd be like to go through pregnancy. Molly Weasley had tried to lecture him and Ron about it once, and going through labor sounded a lot like hell.

So he had snuck into the kitchens and got ice cream for her. When Harry had knocked on her door that night, she refused to let him in. But after he mentioned he was carrying ice cream, she reluctantly opened the door to reveal her disheveled self.

"Truce?" Harry had offered.

And Pansy agreed. That night, they ate ice cream and had a friendly debate over the existence of nargles.

"Parkinson," Harry said, looking at the sleeping witch in front of him, "you and I are in for a long year."

Harry scooped Pansy into his arms with ease and frowned from how light she was. He carried her to her room, struggling for a bit to open the bedroom door. But after the door was open, everything after was easy once more. Harry placed Pansy in the middle of her bed. He took off her shoes and socks, and tossed them in the corner of the room with full knowledge of how upset she'd be once she saw them out of place. He took her robe off and loosened her tie, but left the rest of her clothes alone.

Then he left, but not before glancing back at her.

"Me and Parkinson," Harry muttered. He shook his head and quietly laughed to himself. "Who would have thought?"

* * *

 **RON AND LAVENDER**

"How about Elizabeth?" Ron suggested with a pleading look. "That's a good name for a girl."

Lavender huffed and crossed her arms. "And _Cherry_ isn't?"

Ron inwardly groaned and tried to rack his brain for a response to calm down Lavender. But his silence only angered the blonde further, causing Lavender to stomp her foot like a child.

"Love, I just mean-" Ron let out an exasperated sigh. "Think about it, Lavender. If she has red hair and her name is _Cherry,_ she'll be teased for it!"

Lavender pursed her lips and turned her head to the side, refusing to look at Ron. Inwardly, she admitted that Ron had a point. But her pride refused to let her admit that Cherry was not a well suited name. Ron stared at his girlfriend, frustrated to no end. He had a short temper and Lavender was slowly breaking his self control. He didn't want to snap in front of her. Never in front of her.

Because when Ron got angry, he did and said stupid things. He had once snapped at Hermione and called her a mudblood. Of course, she had slapped him in the face for it, which only got him even more upset. Then he had told her to get her wand out of her ass, and...well, Hermione's gift with magic was used violently on him. After that incident, Ron learned to control his temper more.

"Her name will be Cherry."

"How about-"

"No, Ron! I want her name to be Cherry!"

A strangled, frustrated sound came from Ron as he ran his hand through his hair. His ears became red and his blue eyes narrowed slightly. He clamped his mouth shut and crossed his arms.

"What's so bad about Cherry? So what if our daughter gets teased a bit? She'll get over it!"

"Well maybe if we _don't_ name her Cherry, she won't have to worry about being teased! And you know what? We are not going to name our son Ron Jr.!" Ron yelled.

Lavender gasped, surprised that Ron had yelled at her for once. Her blue eyes widened as she gaped at her boyfriend.

"I need to go," Ron growled through gritted teeth. He got up from the loveseat and stormed off towards the door. But Lavender followed hot on his heels with a furious look on her face.

"Oh no you don't! Don't you dare walk away!" Lavender shouted. She grabbed his arm and pulled as hard as she could.

Ron was yanked back, caught off guard. He tripped over his own feet and knocked over Lavender in the process. Time seemed to slow down as he and Lavender fell onto the floor. Their hearts raced and pounded against the cages that kept them secluded. Ron hovered above Lavender, his chest heaving with each breath he took. He stared down at her with an intimidating look. His eyes darkened and his pupils grew larger. All that kept them apart was Ron's arms, which were on each side of Lavender's head. They supported his body, keeping him in a planking position above her. Lavender looked up at him with slightly pink cheeks and parted lips. Her golden hair looked like a halo as a curly lock of gold formed a circle on top of her head.

Ron felt his hands curl into tight fists. He didn't know what to do. One part of him wanted to strangle Lavender for being to difficult, while another part wanted to kiss her. So he chose the latter.

Ron leaned down and captured Lavender's lips with his. The kiss was passionate and rough. Lavender moaned into the kiss and wound her hands in Ron's hair. She pulled him closer and hooked her legs around his waist. Then, she flipped them over so that she was on top, straddling Ron. A triumphant smile played on her lips as she silently applauded herself for being able to be on top. But Ron merely flipped them over again so that he was back on top, except this time, his hands cushioned the fall for Lavender's head. He gently bit her bottom lip and tugged, causing Lavender to rake her nails down his back. She pulled him even closer, and felt his hard member press against her core.

"Fuck, Lavender," Ron rasped out, breaking their heated kiss.

"How about a compromise," Lavender suggested as she moved slightly against Ron, causing him to moan quietly. "I pick the name for a girl, and you get to pick for a boy."

"Deal," Ron said roughly, before getting up with Lavender in his arms. She squealed and wrapped her legs tighter around his waist. Ron grinned then kissed her deeply. He carried her to their bed room and kicked open the door, before throwing Lavender onto the bed. The witch laughed as Ron practically pounced on her. He kissed her lips then trailed kisses to her jaw, down her neck, then back up. Lavender was left feeling nothing but pleasure as Ron grinded his member into her core. "I love you," he whispered against her lips.

Lavender looked up at Ron with dark eyes. She kissed him softly and slowly, unlike their previous rushed movements. "I love you too," she whispered back.

* * *

 **THEO AND LUNA**

Theo sighed and looked around the common room, which was filled with couples. He sat with a small group of Slytherin, bored out of his mind. Luna was with her friends in the other dorm, and Draco and Blaise were busy with their partners. That left Nott with Zacharias Noel, Stephen Orlenski, and Malcolm Valentine. The other three Slytherins were talking about their partners, and about how their partners were acting like prudes for not shagging them.

"How about you, Nott? Have you shagged Loony yet?" Stephen sneered.

Zacharias smirked and Malcolm snickered. Both were interested in Theo's answer. But instead of responding, Theo checked the time and sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. He missed Luna. She always entertained him with her stories of creatures that no one else seemed to believe.

"Oi! Nott. I was talking to you," Stephen snapped.

"And I was choosing not to answer," Theo snapped back.

Stephen scowled, but then his lips twisted into a cruel smile. "Oh, I get it- you _have_ shagged her, haven't you? Well come one then, Nott. Tell us- is she any goo-"

Theo growled a feral growl. "Don't you fucking dare finish that sentence. And her name is Luna. _Luna_. Or are you so daft that you can't even comprehend a simple name?" Nott snarled. "What Luna and I do or don't do is none of your business, so I suggest you learn your place, Orlenski."

Stephen stood up from his seat, as did Theo. The two Slytherins glared at each other and each took a threatening step towards the other. Theo was an inch or two shorter than Stephen, but he knew he was stronger. He was prepared for a fight if it came to it.

"You're pathetic- a disgrace to Slytherin for sympathizing with that blood-traitor," Stephen spat.

" _I'm_ the pathetic one? It's idiots like you that give Slytherin a bad name," Theo shot back. "And don't bring blood into this. Especially when we all know you had a thing for a muggleborn. What was her name again? Abigail-"

Stephen was the one who threw the first punch. His fist collided with Theo's jaw. Nott felt the pain before he could comprehend what happened. But before Stephen could throw another punch, Theo swung a right hook that hit Stephen's nose with a sickening crack. Blood splattered everywhere and there were a few shrieks from onlookers. Theo swung again, hitting Stephen in the jaw. Then Stephen kicked Theo's side, sending the blonde to the ground.

The fight between them continued. Nott was seemingly losing at first. Stephen had managed to pin him on the ground and punched him repeatedly. Nott's lip was split open and his right eye was swelling up. Blood from Stephen's nose dripped onto Nott's face.

"You seem eager to fight for Loony. Maybe I should try to have a go at her before her stomach starts swelling up," Stephen sneered.

Just as Stephen was about to deliver another blow, Nott moved his head to the side, causing Stephen to punch the ground instead. Theo shoved Stephen off of him then got up and kicked him in the stomach.

"Stay away from Luna!" Nott roared. "Or so help me Merlin when I'm through with you, death will seem like a gift." He kicked Stephen again in the stomach. And again. And again. And again.

"Theo!"

Nott froze in mid kick. He turned around to see Luna Lovegood. She had a horrified look on her face. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open. Slowly, almost timidly, she approached him. Theo stepped away from Stephen who was prone on the floor.

"Luna," Nott began softly, unsure of what to say.

"Let's go," Luna said. She held his hand, ignoring the blood on it. "Let's just go."

* * *

Luna cleaned off Theo's face with a wet towel. Her cornflower eyes were soft and kind as they skimmed over his bruised skin. Theo winced as Luna cleaned the cut on his lip.

"Sorry," she murmured.

"It's not your fault," Theo said.

They were left in silence as Luna finished up cleaning Theo's face. The witch secretly observed her partner. Theo was one of the few guys she knew who didn't have girls fawning over him. Draco had admirers, Blaise had just about as many as Draco, if not more. Harry had his fan girls and Ron had his (though Lavender had scared most of them away.) But then there was Theo, who was just as good looking as the others. It mystified Luna why Theo was not sought after. Perhaps it was because he kept out of the spotlight often. Perhaps it was because he wasn't very Slytherin at times.

It made no sense, because Theo was attractive in so many aspects. His jaw was set hard and strong, and his cheekbones could be the envy of others. His eyes, though blue like hers, were a peculiar shade. They were a deep sapphire blue- the purest of blues she had ever seen. He had a friendly resting face, that made it easier for others to be around him.

"Why were you fighting?" Luna asked softly.

Theo tensed for a moment, then looked down at the witch. Her hair framed her heart shaped face perfectly as she gazed up at him. "He said some stuff he shouldn't have said. And I might have made a comment of the past," Theo said vaguely. "None of it is worth talking about."

"Well it was worth fighting over," Luna pointed out.

Theo exhaled loudly, then gave Luna a small smile. "He said something about you, Luna."

Luna's breath caught in her throat. Surely he was joking, she thought. Nott had fought against his own housemate to defend her? Luna bit her bottom lip and slightly shook her head. No. She was _Loony Lovegood,_ and she didn't mind it, at least not anymore. She was proud to be different. To be the color red in a sea of grey was an honor in her eyes. She saw what others couldn't. She knew what others refused to believe. But never in her life did she think she was worth a fight.

"We don't know much about each other, Luna," Theo said quietly. "But what I do know, is that you and I will be having a child for a year. What I also know, is that I always thought that the mother of my child would be my wife."

"So I'm your wife now?" Luna mused, her airy voice returning. "Well that was not much of a romantic proposal."

Theo laughed a genuine laugh, and he smiled down at her. "Luna Lovegood," Theo began. He gently grabbed her waist and held her against him. He leaned down so close that their foreheads touched. "Will you be my wife for the year?"

 **A/N So what did you guys think? Just a bit of what goes on with the life of the other couples.**

 **Thank you all for the support! I was smiling like an idiot when I was reading the reviews. I can't believe how many reviews/followers/favorites this story is getting! It's gotten more than my first fanfic already.**

 **For polls, I'm thinking about closing them in the next one or two chapters. I haven't put a certain date yet.**

 **Thank you all again!**

 **~KittyKat**


	14. Chapter 14

After hours of tossing and turning, Draco came to the conclusion that he was incapable of sleeping. He was restless from the thought of Hermione. All that he could think of was the way she looked. Her pink lips and dark eyes haunted him. He silently groaned and threw the covers of his bed off his body.

Draco wondered what it would be like to be with Hermione. To feel her lips...Would they be as soft as they looked? To kiss every inch of her body...Would she taste as divine as she smelled? The sweet scent of vanilla was still stuck in his mind. Draco groaned and covered his face with his hands. Granger was messing with his mind.

But he was prepared to end his roaming thoughts. All Draco had to do was seduce Hermione, and once he had his fill, he would be done thinking of her. At least, that's what he hoped would happen. Draco had plenty of one-night-stands and believed that Granger would just be another one. The only difference was that she lived with him... And was about to have a child with him... And was stuck on his mind unlike any other girl he had encountered.

Draco groaned again and draped his arm over his eyes. "Fucking hell, Granger," he muttered.

He thought about Blaise's advice. _Charm her, Drake. After you guys get past 'naked' then everything else will be a breeze._ Draco had thought that it would be easy to charm Hermione. He had no problem seducing other girls. All he usually had to do was smirk and a girl would throw herself at him. But Granger was not an ordinary girl, so how would he get her? Draco sighed and thought harder about Blaise's advice.

 _"Find Granger's weakness," Blaise said. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall of the tower._

 _"Well she bloody loves books, but those aren't seductive," Draco drawled with an eye roll. "Trust Granger to not have an interest in something fun."_

 _"Think about it. I have to go- Ginny's waiting for me. Ciao, Drago," Blaise said, smirking as he spoke Italian. Then he walked off into the tower, leaving Draco alone._

 _Ciao, Drago_ , Draco thought. His lips tugged into a sly smile as he realized what he had to do. _Blaise, you're a genius._

The next morning, the platinum haired Slytherin woke up with a slight smirk on his lips. He rolled out of bed, shirtless and as devilishly handsome as always. Draco could hear Hermione wake up, right as the clock struck six.

 _Punctual as ever, Granger,_ Draco thought.

He walked to the bathroom, staying quiet so that Hermione wouldn't know that he was in there. He began to brush his teeth, silently anticipating for Hermione to enter the bathroom.

 _Three, two, one..._ Draco spat out the mix of saliva and toothpaste into the sink, then put away his toothbrush.

Hermione walked into the room, wearing only a tank top and shorts. Her eyes widened as they landed on the shirtless Draco. Her lips parted slightly as she stared at his bare chest. Draco merely smirked and took in Hermione's appearance.

She looked _ravishing_ as she stood in the door way, flustered and blushing.

"Bonjour, mon chaton," Draco said in fluent French. "Vous regardez irrésistible." ( _Good morning, my kitten. You look irresistible.)_

Hermione looked at the ground, red faced. Draco chuckled and continued to look at Hermione. He could see every curve of her body, and the teenage hormonal side of him was enjoying every second of it.

"I didn't know you were in here," Hermione said. "I'll just go."

"Non." ( _No._ )

Draco washed his faced with water, then glanced back at Hermione. He gave her a charming smile before walking out of the bathroom.

"What the hell?" Hermione muttered under her breath. Since when did Draco know how to speak French?

* * *

"Malfoy needs to stop," Hermione said to Ginny. "He's being-"

"Charming?"

" _Annoying_."

Ginny laughed and rolled her eyes. "A hot guy is speaking French to you. Why on Earth are you complaining?"

"Perhaps you like it when he speaks French," Luna piped in. "But of course you're in denial right now because you don't want to like it." Hermione scowled at the Ravenclaw, but Luna merely smiled. "He's trying to get into your pants. Just fight fire with fire."

Hermione frowned slightly. "And how do you suppose I do that? He's Malfoy. He has tons of options for girls, and I'm just another _Plain Jane_."

Luna giggled and her body swayed slightly. "Hermione, all you have to do is tempt him. He's a boy."

"You can not actually be suggesting that I seduce him before he can seduce me."

"Why not? You're already having his child."

Suddenly, Hermione was at a loss for words. "Luna... Shouldn't I do the opposite? You know, _avoid_ the git."

Luna hummed and swayed slightly in her seat. She tilted her head from side to side then grabbed one of the chocolate frogs on her bed. She contemplated what to say next. After all, when Hermione and Ginny showed up at her flat with sweets, she figured that they wanted to talk about boys. Though the topic of Hermione and Draco was tricky. All Luna _wanted_ to say was that Hermione and Draco needed to shag already. But Luna had suggested that before, and Hermione all but yelled her ear off.

"Well, you could avoid him," Luna agreed. "But that'd be far too boring. Think of how fun it would be to mess with Draco."

"Oh Hermione, wouldn't you want to mess with his mind a bit?" Ginny asked excitedly.

Hermione bit down on her bottom lip and her eyebrows furrowed together. "I'm going to regret this decision, but..."

* * *

For the next four days, the whole school watched as the Head Boy and Girl tempted each other. Draco was constantly walking around their dorm shirtless. Hermione began wearing more fitting clothes, that hugged her body. During meals and classes, their knees would occasionally brush the other's, or their hands would touch when they reached for something at the same time. Their playful banter never ceased, and they always made a show.

"Bonjour, mon chaton," Draco greeted, placing a kiss on Hermione's cheek. "How are you and our son?" He wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist and placed his hand on the growing bump on her stomach.

" _Or daughter,"_ Hermione corrected. "You seem to forget that _he_ might be a _she_."

"Well I guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks," Draco replied haughtily. "But Malfoys always have boys first. And even if _you_ aren't a Malfoy, our _son_ is."

"Don't be so full of yourself. And the possibility of us having a girl is just as great as us having a boy. This is basic genetics, Malfoy. I know you aren't daft, so don't act like you are."

Draco scoffed and flicked Hermione's nose. Hermione gaped at him, appalled that he had the audacity to touch her. She elbowed his rib cage roughly, causing him to wince.

"What the hell, woman! I merely flicked your nose! You didn't have to bruise me for it," Draco huffed.

Hermione moved a few inches away from Draco and looked away from him. "Well don't touch me."

"You didn't seem to mind it last night," Draco quipped, his voice low.

Hermione's face reddened and everyone watched as she slowly turned to face her 'husband.' "Draco. Malfoy," she said warningly.

 _Hermione sang softly to herself as she rubbed lotion onto her skin. Steam surrounded her and fogged up the mirror. Hermione's cheeks were slightly pink from the warmth of the bathroom. She had taken a long hot shower, due to a rough day in Care of Magical Creatures._

 _There was a soft knock on the bathroom door, but Hermione didn't hear it. She continued to place lotion on her legs, only stopping to adjust the towel wrapped around her body. Outside the bathroom, Draco was impatiently waiting. He was sweaty from playing quidditch with Blaise and Theo. His shirt was discarded somewhere in the common room next to his broom. All Draco cared about was getting a long shower to help him relax. After a few moments of no answer from Hermione, Draco opened the bathroom door and peeked in._

 _His face flushed at the sight of the brunette, and he quickly looked away. Hermione shrieked and hugged her towel tighter around her body._

 _"Malfoy!"_

 _Draco tried to hide his embarrassment by responding, "See, Love? I haven't even done anything to you and already I have you screaming my name."_

 _"Malfoy, you pervert! Get out!" Hermione exclaimed._

 _Draco chuckled and winked at Hermione. "Oh come off it, Granger. Nothing I haven't seen before."_

 _A frustrated cry came from Hermione. She grabbed the bottle of lotion and threw it at Malfoy. The bastard dodged it with ease, making Hermione even more upset. She took a step forward, prepared to attack the slimy Slytherin in front of her. But without warning, her foot slipped on a small puddle of water, and she landed roughly on her backside. A yelp escaped her lips and Hermione pouted._

 _"Are you okay, Granger?" Draco asked. He walked closer to her, ignoring her protests about him seeing her indecent._

 _"I'm fine." Hermione winced as she tried to get off the ground. Her tailbone ached._

 _Draco sighed and shook his head. "Stubborn witch," he muttered. He lifted her into his arms, carrying her bridal style._

 _Hermione gasped and tried to shove Draco away, but if she had even moved him slightly, it didn't show. Quidditch had gifted Draco with a rock hard chest that acted like a wall. The Slytherin carried the wounded princess to her room, and gently placed her on her bed. Instead of leaving right away, he made his way to the chest of drawers and rummaged through it._

 _"Malfoy! What are you doing?"_

 _Draco pulled out a large shirt from one of the drawers and raised an eyebrow at Hermione. The shirt was big enough to be a dress, and its faded orange color showed that it was old. One the front was the logo of the Chudley Cannons._

 _"Weasel's shirt?" Draco sneered. Hermione nodded slowly. Draco snorted and tossed the shirt on the ground. It didn't even deserve to be put back in the drawer._

 _Hermione gaped at Draco and tried to get up, but her tailbone ached once more, making her wince. Draco left the room, without so much as a glance in her direction. He wasn't gone long. Only a few moments later, he returned to the room with a silky emerald shirt. He tossed it at Hermione._

 _"Put it on."_

 _"Excuse you-"_

 _"Put it on, Granger. Or do you wish to stay half naked? I don't mind the latter."_

 _"You're such a pervert, Malfoy!" Hermione exclaimed. But she still had no other choice but to put on the shirt. Gathering her pride, she slipped the shirt on over the towel, then let the towel go once the shirt was on. She tossed the towel to the side then looked at Draco. "Are you going to pick out my undergarments? Or perhaps you feel the need to give me your boxers to wear?" she drawled, sarcasm dripping from her voice._

 _The Slytherin chuckled. "Tempting," he mused at the last option. He made his way back to the chest of drawers and found the drawers with her underwear. The sight was shocking to say the least. "I never took you for the type for lace." Draco held up a pair of green lace panties. "Have you been saving this for me?"_

 _"Yes, **Draco**. In fact every green and silver underwear in there is for you," Hermione deadpanned. She expected a perverted reply back, but instead, Draco walked over to her._

 _His eyes were darkened and his demeanor resembled a predator's when it was about to attack its prey. Draco came closer to Hermione. It was only then when Hermione realized that he was shirtless. His bare chest was on display for her to admire. Hermione gulped and tried to move to the other end of the bed, away from Malfoy._

 _But the moment she moved, Draco pounced. He easily pinned her to the bed. His right knee was between her legs while his left one pressed lightly on her leg to keep her from kicking his precious jewels. Hermione looked up at him with her doe eyes. Her lips slightly parted and her face flushed. The Lioness's curly brown mane sprawled out from underneath her._

 _Draco leaned down. For a moment, Hermione thought he was going to kiss her. But instead, his lips grazed her ear, and she felt his warm breath on her skin. "Everything in there is for me, Love. Remember our agreement? We only sleep with each other," Draco said. His voice was low and rough. "Which means..." He pulled away from her ear and looked into her golden eyes. "You're mine."_

 _He lightly bit her bottom lip and tugged, receiving a small whimper in response. Hermione's face reddened in embarrassment, but she couldn't let Draco have the last word. She flipped them over so that she was on top, and she straddled, Draco's waist, hovering a few inches above him. Hermione kissed Draco's jaw, then trailed kisses to his ear._

 _"Then I'm yours, as much as you are mine," she whispered._

 _A deep sound vibrated throughout the Slytherin's chest. It brought shivers down Hermione's spine, and made her become highly aware of their position. She kissed Draco's jaw again, but then kissed his neck. Draco's hands reached up to grab her waist. Hermione continued to kiss him. Her lips left a trail of fire everywhere they went. When Hermione lightly sucked at the juncture between his neck and collarbone, Draco couldn't stop the groan that forced its way to the surface._

 _"Fuck, Hermione," he hissed._

 _Her name sounded so sweet on his tongue. It was a rare treat for Hermione to hear him say her name. Hermione continued her sensual attacks on Draco's neck, wanting to hear her name being called out again. Never before had someone wanted her like this. Never had someone lusted over her. Yet here Draco was, keeping her in his grasps as if he was afraid she'd leave._

 _"Granger, stop before I do something stupid," Draco breathed._

 _If Hermione heard him, then she didn't care. She nipped at his skin, causing him to hold her in a vice-like grip. Hermione pulled away from Draco's neck and moved to his jaw, slowing getting closer to his lips._

 _"Granger..."_

 _Her kisses continued._

 _"Granger..."_

 _She was so close to his lips._

 _" **Hermione**."_

 _She stopped._

"Draco Malfoy Jr. sounds like a good boy name, yes?" Draco said, changing the topic.

"No. It's awful," Hermione deadpanned. "You're such a git, Malfoy."

The two began eating their breakfast as their friends looked at them, expecting for a bigger argument to arise. But when neither of the two spoke, everyone else began to eat as well. Harry, who was sitting next to Pansy at the table, eyed Hermione and Draco for a moment. He wondered when they would kiss already. Hell, he already kissed _Pansy_ but then again, it was more of a peck.

"Theo thinks it'll be a boy too," Luna murmured to Hermione. "I wouldn't mind for a boy."

"Well I'm having a girl," Pansy stated.

" _We-_ and no. We are definitely having a boy," Harry said. He didn't care much for gender, but he loved getting Pansy upset. The brunette all but hit him as her brain registered what he said.

"You better hope not, Potter. I'm putting this baby in a dress- whether it's a boy or girl." Pansy scowled, but there was a certain sparkle in her eye that caused amusement to dance over her features.

"Well we'll all find out today. McMiggins is telling us the baby's gender so we know what to shop for on the Hogsmeade trip," Ginny spoke up.

There was a murmur throughout the whole Slytherin table. A few people shifted anxiously in their seats. In less an hour, the genders will be revealed.

 **A/N Thank you for reading! Sorry for any mistakes!**


	15. Chapter 15

Hermione and Draco sat side by side like the other couples as Professor McMiggins revealed baby genders. The first couple was Neville and Hannah. McMiggins waved her wand over Hannah then made a sharp flick with her wrist. A blue light shined over Hannah's head. A triumphant grin was plastered on Neville's face as couples applauded them.

"Another clumsy Longbottom," Draco mused. "How utterly unfortunate."

Hermione frowned and slapped Draco's arm. "Oh don't be a prat. Especially when everyone is happy."

"I was only joking, Love. No need to get physical. Save it for our bedroom, yes?" Draco teased. He watched as Hermione's eyes lit up with a furious flame dancing in her honey orbs.

Hermione huffed and shoved Draco away from her. Draco merely winked at his partner then turned to Blaise, who was sitting at the table next to them.

"She's already incapable of keeping her hands off of me."

Blaise and Ginny watched as Hermione's nostrils flared in anger. The witch grabbed her wand and muttered under her breath. At first, Draco had no idea what she had done until he tried to speak. His voice was muted so no one could hear him. The Gryffindor Princess had dared to silence the Slytherin Prince.

Blaise laughed and gave Hermione a thumbs up. He admired the witch for her magic capabilities-And for her restraint from strangling Malfoy.

"Look, Ron and Lav are up next," Ginny said. She pointed to her brother and his fake wife. "Let's see if it's Ron Jr or Cherry," she joked.

"Oh let it be Cherry," Blaise pleaded. "Let him suffer with a child named Cherry."

It was Ginny's turn to hit her partner. "It's bad enough having Malfoy make remarks."

Everyone watched as McMiggins casted the spell. Ron and Lavender were holding hands, both shaking with excitement. Although he'd never admit it, Ron didn't mind a girl named Cherry. He pictured having a little girl with fiery hair and blue eyes, and suddenly, names didn't matter. Ron was satisfied with having a boy or girl.

But after McMiggins flicked her wrist, a blue light appeared above Lavender.

"A boy!" Ron cried out. "We're having a boy!"

Tears of joy pricked at Lavenders eyes as she threw herself into Ron's arms. "Won-Won this is amazing"

And for a single moment, they forgot that they were part of a class. They forgot they were having a fake child. They forgot that none of it was real.

"Look at how happy they are," Luna said dreamily.

Theo nodded and draped his arm around Luna's shoulders. "Yeah," he murmured.

"Ugh. Another redhaired beast," Draco said, even though no one could hear him. But Hermione knew Draco enough to understand he had said something rude, so she slapped his arm. "Damn it, Woman!" Hermione moved to hit his arm again, but Draco grabbed her hand before she could. He wove their fingers together then gave her a stern look, as if telling her to stop.

Harry and Pansy were next to get their child's gender revealed. Pansy chewed on her lip and rubbed her hands on her thighs to keep them from feeling clammy.

"Relax," Harry said. "Just breathe."

"Merlin, Potter. If you tell me that while I'm in labor, I'll hex your arse to hell and back," Pansy snapped.

Harry cracked a smile and nodded. "Duly noted."

They both shared a look before a pink light shined above Pansy.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Potter. You're having a girl," Professor McMiggins said.

"A girl," Pansy echoes quietly. "We're having a girl." A slow smile graced her features. "We're having a girl, Potter."

"Yes, Mrs. Potter. I believe we are."

Hermione watched as the couple shared a moment. It was moment that seemed so precious. Seeing people feel joy about having a child nobody planned on was a change of perspective.

"We'll have a boy," Draco whispered in Hermione's ear. She didn't hear him, but she knew what he said. The puff of his breath from when he said 'boy' told her everything. But what he said next, she didn't comprehend. "And for the year we'll play the role as a happy family. For some reason, I don't think it'll take much acting to make that happen."

"Malfoy, I don't know what you just said, but if it's not nice then piss off."

Draco chuckled and smirked. "If only you knew..."

More genders were revealed. Hermione was anxious to find out whether she was having a girl or boy. She glanced at the Slytherin who was still holding her hand, and saw how calm he was. Subconsciously, his thumb skimmed over the soft surface of her skin and traced random patterns.

McMiggins slowly made her way closer to Blaise and Ginny. If either of the two were nervous, it didn't show. Blaise and Ginny sat hand in hand, talking about possible baby names. They didn't stress over having a boy or girl. They just felt content.

"Alright Mr. and Mrs. Zabini," McMiggins said. "Are you both ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Ginny replied. She felt Blaise's hand brush against hers, then their fingers became entwined.

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. Blaise watched carefully above Ginny's head, waiting for the color to appear. Ginny looked at him with a small smile and nodded reassuringly.

A blue light appeared.

The Italian pulled his partner in his arms. Kisses peppered Ginny's face, making her giggle at Blaise's reaction.

"A boy!" Blaise grinned. "A boy, Weaselette."

Hermione clapped happily like the rest of the class, and got up from her seat to hug Ginny. When she tried to get her hand free from Draco's, he only held her hand tighter. Hermione looked at him in confusion. What was wrong with him? Draco feigned innocence and gave her a smirk.

"Let go of me."

Draco held on.

Hermione flicked her wand. "We can hear you now, okay? Now let go of me."

And he did. Draco released her, and watched as she gave her best friend a hug. Hermione kissed Ginny's cheek and smiled brightly.

"A boy," Ginny whispered, as if she didn't believe it.

Hermione nodded. Her eyes flicked over to Luna and Theo, who were up next. She and Ginny watched as Luna, who was swaying slightly in her seat, talked to Theo about baby names.

McMiggins waved her wand above Luna's head and flicked her wrist. Everyone who watched anticipated to see blue or pink. Never had anyone thought they would see both colors.

"Oh look," Luna giggled. "Blue _and_ pink. Does that mean we're having twins?"

McMiggins's eyes widened. Impossible. There was only supposed to be one child per couple. That was the way it was supposed to be. The Ministry had specifically said that there was only supposed to be one child per couple- no more, no less. But for Luna to me pregnant with twins...

"No no no," McMiggins muttered under her breath. "Dumbledore will need to know about this immediately..."

McMiggins clapped her hands together loudly. "Class dismissed! Mr. and Mrs. Nott, please some with me to the headmaster's office."

* * *

Dumbledore pressed his lips together. It was not a good sign at all that Theo and Luna were having twins. He was against the making of the parenting class since the beginning. When the Ministry told him that if he didn't make it mandatory, he would lose his job, Dumbledore knew that the Ministry was up to something. Problem was, he didn't know what. All he knew was: Students were to be paired up and raise faux-children. The Ministry had a specific number of faux-children there could be. The reason why was still unknown.

"What will we do, Albus?" Minerva asked. "Merlin knows what the Ministry will do if they catch word of this!"

Dumbledore nodded and waved his hand in the air. "The Ministry has been keeping secrets from me," he said quietly, just so that McGonagall could hear. He glanced over at Theo and Luna, who were standing by the door of his office. "Come here, my children. We must discuss your extended family," Dumbledore said.

The two blondes made their way over. Both glanced at Fawkes as they came closer. Luna itched to touch the bird, but Theo grabbed her hand and pulled her close to his side. He felt anxious for some reason, and didn't want Luna staying far from him.

"Now, I believe a congratulations is in order." Dumbledore smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You both will be having twins. This means double of everything. I understand that the financial part of the project may intervene, so I will also have your pay dou-"

"With all due respect," Theo cut it, "Luna and I do not need a raise. We are capable of paying for two children- real or fake." He felt his pride surface. He didn't want special treatment. Theodore Nott was competent enough to be financially stable, and he had no doubt that Luna was capable as well. She was a Ravenclaw after all, and despite what most people thought about her, she was brilliant.

Dumbledore had anticipated that Theo would respond the way he did. He knew each student, and knew how they thought.

"If that is what you both wish," Dumbledore said, glancing at Luna. Though he already knew that the Ravenclaw would agree with Nott.

"Yes, it is," Luna said firmly.

"Then you should both know that your grading process will count for each child as a whole. If one child is happy but one is not, then points will be deducted from your overall grade."

Theo and Luna nodded in understanding. They glanced at each other and smiled slightly. Neither one of them doubted their capabilities to succeed in parenting.

"That is all for now. Take the rest of the day off. I will inform your professors of your absences."

Dumbledore and McGonagall watched as the two students left. Once they knew they were alone, their mood quickly changed. Dumbledore's eyebrows furrowed and his lips were once again pressed into a thin line. McGonagall brushed imaginary dirt off her robes and corrected her posture.

"Albus, perhaps we should look into this more," Minerva insisted.

"Yes, yes," Dumbledore agreed. "I will have Severus and Poppy look into this." He gazed at his thin, wrinkled hands with a lost look in his eyes. "I fear that the Ministry is planning something."

 **A/N Thank you for reading! I got a bit of writer's block so if anything sounds awkward, it's probably because I'm awkward and my writing has expressed my awkward self.**

 **THE GENDERS ARE REVEALED! Except for Hermione and Draco. What do you guys think their baby's gender will be? I know some of you guys wanted Hermione and Draco to have twins, but I have something else in mind.**

 **Sorry for any mistakes! Thank you all for the support I've been recieving. I'm so excited to write when the babies are born.**

 **Thank you again!**

 **~KittyKat**


	16. Chapter 16

Hermione was less than pleased that she did not get to find out the gender of her faux- child. An irrational side of her blamed Luna, though the blonde Ravelclaw was hardly to blame. There was something off putting about the way McMiggins reacted to Luna's surprise twins. It was as if the pregnancy had become real for a moment.

The incredulous thought was brushed off by Hermione. Surely McMiggins's reaction was just shock. After all, the chance of receiving twins never occurred to anyone. Perhaps Luna's potion was not made right, thus leading to the extra child.

"It's a boy anyways," Draco said as he sat down beside her on the loveseat. "No need for McMiggins to perform the test." He decided to push his luck and laid down with his head on Hermione's lap.

Since McMiggins dismissed the class, there was still time to spare before Potions with Snape. Hermione and Draco returned to their dorm whilst the others went to their own. Ginny had asked if she wanted to come over, but Hermione declined. She wanted to leave Ginny and Blaise alone to celebrate their future baby boy.

"You're thinking too much, Love. I can practically hear your brain working," Draco said.

Hermione looked down at him with a slight frown. "How are you not the slightest bit upset that we didn't get to find out the baby's gender? We won't get to find out until next week!" Subconsciously, Hermione's fingers began playing with Draco's hair. And although the brunette was oblivious to this, the blonde was definitely aware.

Draco shifted his body slightly so he was even closer to Hermione. His legs dangled off of the loveseat due to his height, but he didn't mind due to Hermione's fingers weaving through his hair.

"I already told you that we're having a boy," Draco drawled.

"You say it so often that I've come to ignore it," Hermione said absentmindedly. She gently massaged his scalp, now noticing what she was doing. His hair felt so soft she couldn't resist continuing to touch it.

Draco let out a small sigh of satisfaction. "If it consoles your little heart, you can decorate the baby's room. But if there is a hint of pink and frills I will turn everything black."

"Is this your way of compromise?"

"Take it or leave it." Either way, it was a win for Draco. He still got the room decorated with little to no work.

There was no response from Hermione, so Draco took it as an 'okay.' He closed his eyes and relaxed into the brunette's soft touch.

Hermione looked down at Draco, taking in how peaceful he looked. His lashes all but touched his high cheek bones. And his lips... His lips looked so inviting and soft. Hermione felt compelled to lean down an steal a kiss. She reasoned that it wouldn't have hurt to kiss him. Hermione brushed one hand down to his cheek tentatively. To her surprise, he felt warm, and his skin was soft. Draco leaned into the palm of her hand and slowly opened his eyes.

"Granger." His voice came out low.

"Malfoy," Hermione whispered. She licked her lips, which did not go unnoticed by Draco.

Their eyes locked for what felt like forever. Silver clashed with gold, and tension began to build up through their gazes. Draco turned his head slightly and kissed the palm of Hermione's hand. He watched as her lips parted slightly.

"You're gorgeous, you know that?" he whispered.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat. She felt her heart clench. "You must be blind."

"No," Draco said. " _You_ must be blind."

* * *

The next couple of days for Hermione and Draco were rough. Whilst the other pairs were planning names and rooms for their future faux-child, Hermione and Draco planned for the upcoming Halloween Ball. When they weren't working on school work or head duties, they were in the Great Hall eating in silence. And by the time they were done with it all, they were too tired to do anything but sleep.

"Are you coming with me to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Hermione asked. She stifled a yawn and rubbed her eyes.

Draco looked up from the Potions essay he was working on. "Of course." He flashed her a small smile that looked too attractive to be legal.

Hermione nodded then stifled another yawn. She felt her eyes water and her eyelids dropped. Sleep was calling for her. Her hand rested on her baby bump, which was definitely showing. Off of her calculations, she was around five months pregnant already. By next week, she'd be in labor. The thought was terrifying to all of the faux-pregnant girls.

Hermione began to pack up her things to retire for the night. She would've fallen asleep on the love seat if it wasn't for the fact that Draco was already on it. As she prepared herself to get up, a fluttering in her stomach caused her to stop. A frown found itself on her face as the strange feeling continued.

"Draco." The brunette looked into the blonde's eyes. "I think the baby's kicking."

The Slytherin Prince was up in an instant. He practically threw himself at Hermione, who was sitting in one of the armchairs. His hands rested on her stomach as he knelt in front of her. "Are you sure? I don't feel anything."

"Well you might not, but I sure as hell do," Hermione retorted. She felt the fluttering once more.

Draco's hands roamed around her stomach, trying to feel some sort of kick. There was a slight weight on his chest. It took him a moment to realize that he was holding his breath out of excitement.

The feeling of his hands on her body caused Hermione to forget about the baby kicking for a moment. The warmth of Draco's hands became the only thing she could focus on. "I think the baby stopped."

"Are you sure?" Draco looked up at her. His hands slid over to hold her waist, and his thumbs rubbed soft circles on her sides. "You don't feel kicking?"

Hermione shook her head apologetically. "The only thing I feel is tired," she said truthfully. For what felt like the tenth time that night, Hermione yawned. She leaned back in the armchair and closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep.

Suddenly she felt herself being lifted. Draco had carried her into his arms bridal style. Her head rested on his chest as he held her in his arms and began to walk towards her room.

"Hey," Hermione murmured. "Why are you so nice this year?"

Draco didn't reply right away. Instead, he continued to carry the barely conscious princess to her room. There was a comfortable silence between them as he entered the bare room. He gently laid her down in the middle of the bed and began to undress her. Hermione made no effort to move, but looked up at Draco through half closed eyelids.

"I've learned something this year," Draco said quietly.

"Oh?"

"Mmm," he hummed. He took off her shoes and socks. "You're not that bad for a muggleborn."

" _Muggleborn_ , eh? No more mudbloood?"

Draco paused. He fought the urge to flinch. "No. Never again mudblood." He moved to take off Hermione's skirt. His movements were slow, giving her more than enough time to protest. But Hermione continued to just lay in bed, staring at him as he undressed her. Draco peeled off her skirt, marveling at the sight of her bare legs. He nearly choked on his spit when he realized that Hermione was wearing a pair of silver lace underwear.

Instead of continuing to undress her, Draco walked over to her chest of drawers to get a more comfortable shirt for her. He eyed the orange Chudley Cannons shirt she still had, but his attention soon landed on a familiar green shirt. It was the same shirt he had given her to wear a few days ago. He picked out that shirt without a second glance and walked back to the almost sleeping brunette.

Hermione slowly sat up and took the shirt out of Draco's hands. "Turn around so I can undress."

Draco raised an eyebrow at that, but nevertheless obeyed. He turned around then heard the sound clothes shuffling. A blouse was suddenly tossed onto the floor beside him. Then a bra landed on top of the blouse. Draco eyed the fabric with much interest until he heard Hermione say, "You can turn around now."

When he turned to face Hermione, he felt all air leave his lungs. "Fuck, Granger," he swore under his breath.

Hermione laid on the bed in nothing but his shirt and her underwear. Her hair was sprawled out from under her in a beautiful curly mess. She gazed up at Draco, barely conscious. Her hand patted an empty space on the bedside her, beckoning for him to come closer. "Lay down with me," she mumbled.

Draco didn't hesitate. His took off his tie and dropped it on the ground, then kicked off his shoes and socks. He sat down beside the brunette. Her hand suddenly tugged at the sleeve of his shirt. Draco unbuttoned his shirt, but left it on. He slowly laid down on the bed, only to be engulfed in warmth and _Hermione_. Everything smelled like her. It was intoxicating. Hermione moved closer to Draco and closed her eyes.

"Stay with me until I fall asleep,"she whispered.

He stared at her for a moment, taking in how breathtaking she looked. "As you wish."

* * *

Hermione woke up feeling hot. Heat surrounded her, and there was a weight on her waist along with something hard pressed against her back. Slowly her eyes opened. All she saw at first was blinding light coming from her window. But after a moment or two of letting her eyes adjust, she realized she was in her room. Though how she got there, she had no idea. The last thing she remembered was Draco carrying her. Everything after that was a blur.

It didn't take a genius to realize that the Slytherin had stayed around though. Hermione could feel his warm breath on her neck as he continued to sleep. She hated to admit it to herself, but she liked waking up like this. Minus the overwhelming heat of course. Though when Hermione slowly kicked the blanket off of her torso, she felt a lot better.

"Go back to sleep."

Hermione nearly jumped at the sound of Draco's voice.

"It's too early. Sleep," he said. His voice was low and slightly hoarse. It brought shivers down Hermione's back. If his voice always sounded like that, he could have convinced her to do anything.

Hesitantly, Hermione closed her eyes. To her surprise, it wasn't that hard to fall back asleep.

It was only an hour later though when Draco woke up. He woke up feeling well rested, which was an uncommon feeling for him. He and Hermione had changed positions during their sleep. Draco was now on his back with the witch practically on him. Her head was on his chest, which nearly gave him a mouth full of her untamed hair. Her leg was draped over his hips.

It was almost time for breakfast, and despite how comfortable Draco was, his stomach was aching for food. Slowly, he untangled himself from Hermione. He made sure not to wake her up as he got out of bed. Draco grabbed his shoes and socks before he left the room, but one of his socks was missing. He leaned down to check under the bed, and sure enough, it was there, next to a crumpled piece of paper.

Draco grabbed both and unfurled the paper. His eyes widened at the title of it.

 **36 QUESTIONS THAT LEAD TO LOVE**

 _1\. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?_

 _2\. Would you like to be famous? In what way?_

 _3\. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?_

Draco frowned slightly. _A telephone call?_ he thought in confusion. _Definitely a muggle contraption._ He continued to look through the list.

 _30\. When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?_

 _31\. Tell your partner something that you like about them already._

Lists of questions filled the page. Draco's eyes scanned over every word, skeptical of whether the title was true or not. He didn't even know why Hermione had the paper in the first place. After all, _love_ was never something they had discussed. Pretending to be married was discussed. Sleeping arrangements were discussed. But the possibility of actually falling for each other was never brought to attention. Had Hermione planned to make him fall in love with her with these questions?

 _No. Granger isn't that gullible, and she loathes me._ Draco shook his head as a small part of him said, _Granger obviously likes you enough to sleep in bed with you._

He crushed up the paper and looked down at Hermione. "What are we going to do?" he muttered under his breath. Draco slowly left the room with his clothes and the paper.

* * *

Hermione and Draco walked side by side through the store. There were baby bottles, pacifiers, clothes, and just about everything needed for a child in every color. A shopping cart was in front of them, though it was empty unlike the other couples'.

"What's wrong with this one?" Hermione rolled her eyes and held up a package of baby bottles.

Draco scrunched up his nose and looked around the store in distaste. "Everything in this blasted shack is cheap."

"You're being too picky." Hermione tossed to package into the cart then added a pack of green pacifiers. She made her way towards the clothing aisle. Ginny, Luna, Lavender, and Pansy were already there, searching for the right clothes for their children. A twinge of jealously ate at Hermione. She wished that she knew the baby's gender like the others.

"Oh Hermione, look how cute this is!" Lavender held up an orange Chudley Cannons onesie. "Won't Ron just love this?"

"Absolutely," Hermione agreed with a small smile.

Immediately Ginny and Lavender began showing her all the clothes they picked out. Hermione continued to smile and nodded every now and then to show her approval. Luna was too busy searching for clothing that, in her own words "repels Estraldies." When Hermione asked what those were, the blonde replied, "Oh they're mean creatures. They make babies cry all the time. Can't see them of course, but they're less attracted to babies that wear a certain shade of blue." None of the blues in the sea of clothing matched the shade that repels Estraldies so far.

As for Pansy, she silently looked through the clothing for what would look adorable on her future daughter. She stood far enough from the others to show that she wasn't included in the conversation, but close enough to show she was with them. "Hey, Granger," Pansy said. Hermione turned to her, slightly relieved to have a break from Ginny and Lavender's gushing. "This would look good on a boy or girl."

It was a white onesie with a cartoon pale green serpent on the front. It was simple enough, yet Hermione and Pansy both knew that Draco would approve.

"Thank you," Hermione said as Pansy gave it to her.

Pansy gave her what looked like smile, though Hermione wasn't sure. The two never interacted enough to know much about the other. But Hermione pitied Pansy, since the Slytherin never had any friends besides Draco, Blaise, and Theo.

"Have you thought of names yet?" Hermione found herself asking Pansy. She walked over to her and searched through the clothes in front of Pansy.

"A few," Pansy murmured. "Harry is set on Lily," she said softly. A slightly dark look crossed Pansy's features. "I like the name, but it just seems a bit sacred, yeah? To name our fake daughter after his mother just doesn't seem worth it. It should be saved for something real."

"Have you told Harry that?"

Pansy pursed her lips together, signalling a _no_. "Does telling him that the name is atrocious count?"

"No."

"Then no, I haven't. How about you and Drake? Have you two talked over names?"

 _That would require communicating_ , Hermione thought. "No," Hermione said truthfully. She felt slightly embarrassed. She and Draco were supposed to be the model students, and yet they were the most dysfunction of all the couples.

"Try looking up names of constellations," Pansy offered as she picked up a white onesie covered in tiny flowers. "It's a Malfoy tradition." Pansy placed the onesie into her cart.

The two of them made small talk, keeping things civil. It was easier than they had thought to begin with. Eventually Ginny, Lavender, and even Luna joined in on their conversation. The five girls talked about their pains through pregnancy, and how helpful or unhelpful their partners have been.

"Blaise still puts up with my weird cravings. Last night I made him go to the kitchens and get me ice cream, chips **(french fries)** , and pickles," Ginny said sheepishly.

Lavender snorted. "I woke Ron up at three this morning to get me pasta. Fettuccine alfredo to be exact."

"Speaking of cravings, I could go for a milkshake right now," Pansy mused. She licked her lips and a sighed. "A milkshake with crisps and a burger."

Hermione's stomach ached in agreement. "That sounds amazing," she said.

"Talking about me again?"

Hermione turned around to see Draco looking at her with a smirk plastered on his face. The other guys were behind him talking about quidditch.

"You wish," Hermione scoffed as Draco sent her a wink. She couldn't stop the blush that reddened her cheeks.

"We're taking a break to eat," Lavender announced, saving Hermione from facing an awkward silence. "You boys go pay while we go," she ordered as she abandoned her cart and walked towards the front of the store.

The guys gave her an incredulous look. Much to their chagrin, the other girls followed suit. Their hungry stomachs took priority over everything. But Hermione hesitated before she left, and looked at Draco with questioning eyes. "Do you have the money?"

"Yes, Love," he answered. He pulled out a wallet and showed her the money that filled it. "See? Go eat. We'll meet up with you all later," Draco said. He gazed at Hermione's growing stomach and gave what looked like an affectionate smile. "We need our son to be healthy, yeah?"

"Or daughter," Hermione objected. "Harry and Pansy can't possibly be the only one out of us all to have a girl. Oh, and Luna," Hermione muttered the last part.

"Potter isn't-"

"-a Malfoy, and Malfoys always have sons first," Hermione drawled.

"See? Now you're understanding it," Draco joked. Then his expression morphed into a slightly more serious one. "Go eat." He surprised her by kissing her cheek. "And you look beautiful today, Mon Chaton," he whispered in her ear.

Hermione eyes widened and she gave Draco a frazzled look. Her lips parted, but nothing came out. After a second or two, she joined the rest of the girls, red faced and embarrassed.

"Careful 'Mione," Ginny joked as they left the store, "someone might start to think you two actually like each other."

 **A/N Helloooo. Sorry this is a bit late. But thank you for reading! Sorry for mistakes!**

 **-KittyKat**


	17. Chapter 17

"Dear Merlin this is amazing," Lavender moaned as she bit into the hamburger. She took another bite and hummed in satisfaction.

There was a murmur of agreement from the other girls as they dug into their food. Hermione gently rubbed her stomach as she ate. She hadn't realized just how hungry she was until she took a bite of her lunch.

"Better than sex," Lavender added.

The others choked on their meal as their eyes widened from Lavender's remark. Hermione blushed furiously whilst the others turned their coughs into giggles.

"Was that necessary?" Hermione squeaked out. Her eyes bulged out slightly from the shock as the blood rushed to her cheeks.

Lavender giggled and nodded with glee. "Quite," she replied.

Just as Hermione opened her mouth to reply, the door to the pub swung open and loud masculine voices reached her ears. She turned around to see the guys, all smiling and laughing- including Draco Malfoy. The sight caught her off guard. His grey eyes were so bright, they almost seemed blue. It was a brilliant sight to behold.

It wasn't long until Draco looked at her. Just a glance from him made her breath catch in her throat. And little did she know that she had the same affect on him. Her golden eyes were illuminating, and the faint blush on her cheeks did not go unnoticed.

A weird feeling tugged at his stomach. It made him want to grin like a fool and just...

 _I'm going mad,_ Draco thought to himself.

 _I must be insane,_ Hermione inwardly said.

 _But is there any fault in that?_

* * *

"Albus," Minerva hissed, "is it true?"

The old wizard sat in his chair, expressionless. There was something sinister about the missing twinkle in his eyes. His silence alone was an answer to the witch before him.

"Oh Albus, how could you let this happen?" Minerva nearly cried. "They're just children!"

Dumbledore took a sharp breath of air. His discontent surfaced once his eyes narrowed down to slits and his mouth pressed into a thin line. "Minerva, I hold no power in this decision. What's done is done. All we can do is hope that they get through this."

Minerva snorted in an uncharacteristic way. Her eyes blazed with a fire that was usually hidden beneath her calm exterior. "Hope? How will hope help them? This is cruel and unethical! Was it not bad enough that the students have to be put under this pregnancy simulation? Think of what will happen once they find out the truth!"

"I know, Minverva," he said. "I know."

* * *

By the time everyone had gotten back to Hogwarts, it was past curfew. Filch had threatened to give everyone detention, but with a simple dark look from Hermione, he had let everyone off with a warning. Even he of all people knew that pregnant women were not to be messed with. Hermione and Draco went back to their dorm, both grateful that the prefects were patrolling instead of them.

Despite informing Hermione that he would take no part in decorating the baby's room, Draco found himself on the floor of the room, reading a manual on how to put together the baby crib. It was amusing for Hermione to watch as the Slytherin struggled to find a seemingly missing piece.

"Behind you," Hermione mused as she sat on the edge of her soon to be old bed. "To your right."

Draco turned to see the small bolt he had spent ten minutes looking for. "How long have you known that it was there?" he asked, locking eyes with the brunette.

"Ever since you began searching for it," she replied honestly with a grin.

It was difficult for Draco to be mad when Hermione looked at him with that idiotic grin. "Maddening witch," he said with a playful glare. Draco grabbed the bolt and continued to build the crib. He felt the urge to put the pieces together with magic. All it would have took was a flick of his wrist and a simple spell. Unfortunately for him and every other poor soul with the crib, it was part of their grade to build the it magic-less. Perhaps this is the professors' way of punishing the students for all of the years of annoyance.

 _Snape probably came up with it_ , Draco thought bitterly. He glanced at Hermione. Her hair cascaded past her shoulders, in a glorious mess, and stopped just above her very pregnant belly. She was _glowing._ And no matter how much he denied it, he was glad that he was partnered with Hermione. Better her than someone clingy (Pansy) or over dramatic (Lavender.) But there was something else... Something that made him think "what if we never hated each other?"

"What?" Hermione asked as he stared at her.

The Slytherin Prince said nothing as he continued to look at the Gryffindor Princess. He got up from the floor and walked over to her. His grey eyes were dark, and Hermione could have sworn that his pupils were dilated. Draco suddenly leaned forward. His hand pressed into the mattress to prop up his body as his other hand held Hermione's cheek.

"Draco-"

"Close your eyes," he whispered.

"What?"

"Close your eyes," he repeated, his voice even quieter than before. "Trust me."

Perhaps it was because she was tired. Perhaps it was because she wanted to. But for whatever reason, Hermione closed her eyes and leaned slightly into Draco's touch. The Slytherin looked down at the beautiful witch in his grasp. Her lips looked so soft and perfect. He had no regrets as he leaned down to kiss her.

His lips brushed over hers before he captured them in a deep kiss. Her response was immediate. Hermione kissed him back, her lips moving in sync with his. She tasted sweet like honey, and he like mint. She pressed her hands slightly against his abdomen then slid them up his torso. A low sound emitted from Draco's throat as Hermione's fingers knotted themselves in his hair and tugged lightly at his scalp. He leaned down further to deepen the kiss before pulling away. A small whimper escaped Hermione's lips from the loss of contact. But when she felt his lips suddenly press to her neck, her mind went blank.

Draco trailed kisses up and down her neck, biting and nipping softly at her skin. The quiet moans she made drove him crazy as he refrained from ravishing her. He held her closer and captured her lips once more. A groan escaped him as Hermione gently bit his bottom lip and tugged.

"Bloody minx," he rasped out.

"Just for you," she panted, looking up at him with wide dark eyes.

 _Fuck._

He gave an almost feral growl before crushing her lips with a bruising kiss. "Mine," he whispered between kisses. "All. Fucking. Mine."

Hermione gave no objections as she returned his brutal kisses. She tugged at the hem of his shirt and nearly cried from how frustrated she felt. These...emotions that Draco had sparked was something she had never experienced. All she knew was that she wanted him close in every way possible. She unbuttoned his shirt to expose his toned chest. She broke the kiss with his lips to kiss his chest instead. His knees felt weak as her lips moved to his neck. To her surprise, Draco pulled her away from his neck and brushed his lips against hers.

"Easy love," Draco whispered against her lips. "None of that tonight." He gave her a slow sensual kiss. "Tonight is about you."

He moved Hermione to the middle of the bed and kissed her senseless. He made sure not to put pressure on her stomach as he hovered over her. The witch below him mewled and moaned. The sounds was music to his ears. Slowly, Draco began to undress the brunette. He gave her plenty of time to object, but she never did. Her cries for more were all that he heard. He stripped her of her clothes, kissing every inch of skin he could until she was left in her bra and underwear.

"So beautiful," he murmured. "So perfect." His eyes raked over her body, and growled in approval.

Hermione whimpered as Draco kissed her, just above her breasts. "Draco," she cried out as he kissed the area again. Her eyes nearly rolled back into her head when he placed hot wet kisses on the tops of her breast.

She was gorgeous in his eyes. Her hair spilled out from underneath her head. Her lips were red a swollen from his kisses and her chest heaved, straining against the black bra she had on.

Draco began to plant kisses down her body. When he reached her stomach, his kisses became softer, and he whispered something undecipherable against her skin. Once he reached her underwear, he paused before leaving kisses around the flimsy barrier.

"Draco," Hermione whimpered. Her hands gripped the sheets tightly as he continued his endless assault of kisses. "Please." She felt him smirk against her skin. The damn prat. He enjoyed watching her squirm under his touch.

"Please what, Hermione?" he asked. His voice was low and husky, thick with lust. He began to kiss her breasts again.

A frustrated cry left her lips. "Please," she begged once more. Her eyes opened and she lifted his head to meet her gaze. "Please, Draco," she whispered.

"No."

Her jaw dropped. Tears pricked at her eyes as she looked away in embarrassment. No? _No_? Hermione pushed herself away from Draco, humiliated at the rejection.

Suddenly she felt her bra being pulled down to release her breasts. She gasped as Draco took one in his mouth. His tongue swirled against the hard bud. She felt so sensitive and vulnerable.

"I said no, because..." He paused to kiss her other breast. "When I take you..." He tugged lightly at her nipple with his teeth, eliciting a cry. "When I make you cum..." He moved to her neck and began to suck lightly on her skin. "It will be romantic," he crooned into her ear. "It will be mind blowing." Draco kissed her jaw. "It will be so fucking perfect that you will forget why you ever hated me." He kissed the corner of her mouth, then looked into her eyes. "And tonight isn't the right night."

* * *

It wasn't hard for everyone else to tell that something had changed with the Head Boy and Girl. On Monday morning, they seemed...content. Not a single argument came from either one. In fact, it was almost as if they were _friendly_. But nobody dared to question the sudden change.

During Parenting 101 with McMiggins, Hermione and Draco sat side by side with no qualms. Even when the sex of the babies was mentioned, Draco did not make a remark about how they were going to have a boy. They both simply sat and listened as McMiggins spoke.

"On Wednesday, every female in this room will go through labor. The times will be different, so you may be having breakfast when you go through labor. Perhaps some of you may be in Potions when it happens. Every Professor is aware that the times with vary for the labors. Madam Pomfrey and medi-witches will be in Hospital Wing on standby. Boys," McMiggins paused to eye the male students, "it will be your job to get your partners to the Hospital Wing."

A hand shot up immediately. Surprisingly, it was Crabbe, not Hermione, with a question. "What if we don't?" There were a few snickers from the rest of the students.

"Mr. Crabbe, if you fail to do so, your partner will be in unimaginable pain until you get her to the Hospital Wing. Oh, and you also get points taken off your overall grade."

"How many points?"

"Mr. Crabbe do you plan on leaving your partner?" McMiggins snapped.

"Well there's-"

"Mr. Crabbe!" McMiggins exclaimed.

"You prat!" shouted Gwendolyn, his partner.

It was hard to tell who was more upset: the Professor or the Wife. Eventually Crabbe realized that he needed to keep his mouth shut.

Every male in the room pitied the poor bloke. He was the only one stupid enough to voice what they were all thinking.

"Now today we will work on diaper changing," McMiggins said, switching the topic.

There was a wave of groans and sounds of disgust.

By the time all of their classes were over, the last thing anyone wanted was a child. Everybody left with their partners to go to their dorms to shower. After McMiggins' class, they felt disgusted to touch anything or to be near anyone.

* * *

 **BLAISE AND GINNY**

"Love, you've washed your hands too many times," Blaise said.

Ginny huffed and scrubbed her hands even more vigorously. Her hands were becoming pink from how hot the water was. "I cleaned more diapers than you today, lets just remember that, Zabini," she muttered.

The corner of Blaise's lips twitched up into a smirk. "Back to last names, Weaslette?"

"Well the moment I have this baby, I guess I'll be a Zabini too," Ginny said. She looked down at her stomach and sighed. "I wonder what he'll look like."

Blaise walked up from behind Ginny and turned off the faucet. He wrapped his arms around her then kissed the top of her head. "Probably devilishly handsome like his father."

"That sounds accurate." She rubbed her stomach almost lovingly. Ginny leaned back against Blaise with a small smile on her face.

"I have a surprise for you," he whispered into her ear.

"Does it involve food?"

The Italian chuckled and nodded. "Yes." He reluctantly pulled away from her and turned her around to face him. "Meet me by the Black Lake at six."

"Six? It's already half past five."

"Just meet me there and dress casual."

Blaise left right after to leave Ginny to get ready. The red haired witch felt excited. She wasted no time in changing into a pair of grey sweatpants and a loose black shirt. By the time she had changed, it was time for her to start walking to the Black Lake.

Her steps were quick and light as she sped walk to meet up with Blaise. She could feel her nerves going in overdrive, causing her to feel anxious. It was definitely new for Blaise to do something like a surprise. He was a straightforward kind of person, which she liked. There were no guessing games with Blaise. If he was upset, he'd let her know. If he was happy, he'd tell her why.

As she came closer to the Black Lake, she saw Blaise sitting on a laid out picnic blanket. A basket was beside him, and floating around the lake were lit candles. Ginny's jaw dropped as she took in the scenery. Blaise smiled when he saw her.

Gods did she look beautiful. He got up and walked over to Ginny. Blaise wrapped an arm around her and led her to the blanket. "I figured that we should have a night to ourselves before Wednesday," he said softly. "Do you like it?"

"Blaise..." Ginny looked around. "I love it."

They sat down and Blaise began to unpack the basket. He watched as Ginny stared hungrily at the food. She didn't hesitate to start eating. There was a slight kick from the baby as she ate. The feeling made her pause from her feast, but when no other kicks came, she continued eating. Meanwhile, Blaise laid down on the blanket beside her.

He reached out to rest his hand on her pregnant belly. His thumb traced circles on her stomach absentmindedly. Blaise smiled as he stared at the witch before him. The box in the pocket of his slacks pressed against his thigh. He began to wonder if it was smart to ask her. He wasn't even sure how to ask.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked. She turned her head to the side then offered him a strawberry. "Aren't you hungry?" She held the strawberry closer to his lips, and Blaise couldn't help but to take a bite. Though his eyes never left Ginny's as he did so, and he watched as she finished off the rest of the strawberry.

"Have you thought of a name?" Blaise asked. His gaze lowered to her stomach.

Ginny pressed her lips together for a moment. "I was hoping you would pick. Since the Weasley tradition of having red haired children is going to end, I thought it'd be best to have a nontraditional Weasley name as well."

"So if I chose a bland name such as Norm, would that be-"

"I would hex you to oblivion." Ginny shot Blaise a playful glare. "This is my first child, Zabini. Real or not, I want him to be special."

Blaise's gaze softened. He leaned forward to kiss Ginny's stomach. He murmured something against the fabric, then smiled almost lovingly. "I know that this is important to you," he began in a soft voice. "I know that you expected to have a child when you're older and married. But since that's not going to happen, I thought I could do the next best thing." He reached into his pocket to pull out a black square box.

Ginny's jaw dropped when she saw it. She nearly fainted when he actually opened the the box, which revealed a simple but elegant gold ring. The band seemed to be made of two gold strands that were woven together to look like infinity symbols, and all around the tops were small diamonds that glittered in the dimming light.

"Ginevera Molly Weasley, you are simply exquistite. And this might not be how you pictured this year going, but I want you to have the best experience possible. We have a lot of sleepless nights and dirty diapers ahead of us, but I'm prepare. I'm ready to go through it all _with you_. So will you give me the honor of marrying me for the year?"

Tears pricked at Ginny's eyes as she stared at Blaise, speechless. Her mouth opened and closed several times, yet nothing came out. Words couldn't describe what she wanted to say. So she let her actions do the talking for her.

The red haired witch leaned towards the Slytherin, and held his face in her soft delicate hands before pressing her lips against his. The kiss started soft and slow, then slowly progressed to something passionate. Blaise licked her bottom lip, asking for access, to which she granted. She tasted like strawberries. He couldn't get enough of it.

Eventually they pulled away, both panting for air.

"Is that a yes?"

"That's a hell yes."

* * *

 **HARRY AND PANSY**

Harry groaned as Pansy began yelling at him about his broom being left in the middle of their living room. He had meant to move it after his shower, but unfortunately, Pansy had gotten to it first.

"Potter, I am bloody sick of this!" she shrieked. "You need to stop leaving your things everywhere!" If it wasn't for her large stomach, which prevented her from picking anything up, she would have taken the broom and thrown it at the disorganized Gryffindor. "In two days, there will be a miniature Potter in this house, and so help me Merlin, I will hex you to oblivion if I'm stuck mothering two of you!" Her face reddened from how angry she was. She hadn't even realized that her wand was in her hand.

Harry's eyes widened as Pansy's rant continued. He could feel magic crackling from around her. "Parkinson..."

"I'm carrying around this baby- who bye the way, feels the need to kick my bladder every five seconds! The last thing I need is for you to make this harder!" she cried. A single tear trickled down her cheek, but she brushed it away with the back of her hand. It was so quick that Harry almost missed it. "I'm not ready for this!" Pansy admitted. "And I know that nobody else is either, but I thought that you would at least make this easier." A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "Guess I thought wrong," she spat.

Guilt washed over Harry as he watched Pansy storm into her room. He hadn't meant to cause problems for her. And he knew that he needed to make up for his mistake. So he left the dorm, pretending that he didn't hear her cries, and made his way to the kitchens.

"Harry Potter," Dobby gasped when he saw his favorite wizard. "Has you upset the Mistress again?" Even he knew that something had happened.

Harry sighed and nodded regretfully. "I need a favor from you," he said.

"Dobby will do anything!" chimed the house elf. "Say it and Dobby will have it done."

"I'm going to need warm brownies, ice cream, and jewelry."

-.-.-

Dobby would do anything for Harry Potter. After all, the raven haired boy was the one who freed him. If Harry had requested him to jump off a cliff, he would have done so with glee.

However at the moment, he had never felt so lost and desperate to disobey Harry's vague orders. Retrieving brownies and ice cream was easy. However, his vague order to buy jewelry was difficult to say the least. Harry had given him twenty galleons and said, "Go to Hogsmeade and buy jewelry. Perhaps a necklace or bracelet . Something a girl would like, but nothing too fancy."

Dobby wandered around shops, trying to find something that would be suitable for Pansy Parkinson. Though, Dobby's knowledge of women was sub-par. "Jewelry, jewelry," Dobby muttered as he stepped into another store. He looked around, though everything was too high up for him to see. A cry of frustration rang in the air as Dobby banged his head against a nearby table.

"Worthless! Worthless! Dobby cannot perform a simple request!" Dobby wailed.

The table shook with each hit Dobby inflicted on himself. Patrons of the store watched as the helpless house elf punished himself for failing to acquire a piece of jewelry.

"Bad Dobby!" he cried.

Suddenly something fell on him. Dobby paused and looked down at the small piece of metal that landed on his feet. His already wide eyes bugged out further as he leaned down to pick it up. His green eyes inspected the in intricate silver designs, and the flawless silver band. In the midst of it all was a shiny ruby.

"Dobby had done it!" remarked the house elf.

-.-.-

Harry returned to his flat nervously. He had hoped that Pansy was still there, and not at dinner. Beside him was Dobby, who carried two spoons and a tub of ice cream. Harry carried two bowls, both containing warm fresh brownies.

He knocked on Pansy's door, only to hear, "Go away!"

"I'm sorry," Harry said. "And I brought a piece offering!"

He could hear her sniffling, and felt even more guilty that she was still crying. Pansy's voice came out raspy as she said, "I don't care, Potter. Just leave me alone."

Unfortunately for her, he was never good at following orders. He opened the door anyways and walked into the room. He paused when he saw how much of a mess she was. She sat by the edge of her bed with a pillow hugged against her chest. Her hair was disarray and red blotches covered her face. Her eyes were red and swollen. In the nearby trash can, Harry saw the abundance of tissues.

"I told you to leave me alone," Pansy hissed.

Harry ignored her and walked over. He placed the two bowls in front of her, and Dobby followed suit with the ice cream and spoons. Harry nodded appreciatively at Dobby, then the house elf left.

"I haven't been the easiest to live with," Harry said softly. "And I truly am sorry for that. It's just..." he paused and sighed. "I'll change," he stated. "I'll be better."

Pansy said nothing, but her glare softened.

"I'll do better for you and the baby," he promised. "I'll start picking up things. I'll even change all of the diapers when the time comes."

Still, Pansy said nothing.

Harry sighed softly and fell to his knees. He fished into his pocket for the small box. After taking a deep breath, he pulled the box out and opened it. Pansy's eyes widened as far as they could when the box was rested on the tub of ice cream.

"I'm not romantic. I'm not the smartest. I'm not anything special really. I'm a messy, half-blood Gryffindork, and probably the one person you hate the most in the world. But I'm asking for us to start over. No past hatreds and judgements," he paused to gather his thoughts. "Because I swear on my life that if we can do that, I'll be the best fake-husband and father I can be," Harry said.

Pansy said nothing. Her eyes were glued on the ring that sat in front of her. After a moment, she managed to look at Harry, who was still on his knees. His hair was as messy as ever, and fell into his green eyes.

The silence was killing Harry. He was waiting for a response. Did she still hate him? Was she still angry? Food had always made her calm down in the past, but maybe he pushed her one too many times and sent her over the edge.

"You're wrong," Pansy finally said. Her hazel eyes were kind as they looked at Harry. "You are romantic."

* * *

 **RON AND LAVENDER**

"Where is everyone?" Ron asked as he looked around the Great Hall. Dinner had already started yet none of his friends seemed to be there.

Lavender frowned. "You don't think something happened, do you?"

"No," he said firmly. Usually he had a gut feeling when something was wrong. At the moment, everything just felt awkward. Ron glanced at the Great Hall, and saw a familiar flash of brown curls. "'Mione!" he called out, attracting a lot of attention.

Hermione and Draco turned to look at him. Without hesitation, the brunette began walking towards the Gryffindor table. However Draco look far less than pleased and trailed behind Hermione.

"Have you seen everyone else?" Lavender asked.

Hermione shook her head. "Theo told me that he was taking Luna to the Astronomy Tower though. I'm not sure about the others." She looked around the Great Hall and sure enough, the rest of their friends were missing.

"I'm sure they're fine," Draco drawled, ignoring the looks he received as he sat next to Hermione. "Pansy is with Saint Potter and Little Weasley has her hexes to keep Blaise safe."

If the Italian was there to hear Draco's remark, there would have been a very injured blonde at the moment.

"Well if everything is alright..." Ron began to eat. He piled a mountain of food onto his plate and shoveled down what could fit in his mouth.

Lavender scrunched up her nose. "Love, slow down and eat like a human being."

"Wha oo mean?" said Ron, causing spit to fly out of his mouth.

Everyone around him cringed. Lavender looked at him in disgust and shook her head. "Ronald, our son better not end up eating like you."

"Well he's going to be Ron Jr., so-"

"He is not going to be named Ron Jr.!"

A bewildered look crossed Ron's face. "I thought you wanted Ron Jr. as a name?"

"Oh that was _ages_ ago. I don't want it now!" Lavender argued.

Ron's jaw dropped as he gaped at her, unsure of what to do. She was so infuriating. Her mind changed every second. But arguing with a pregnant Lavender was futile. Eventually he just shook his head and threw his hands up in surrender. "Fine. You don't want Ron Jr. so there will be no Ron Jr."

Lavender smiled triumphantly and looked at Hermione and Draco.

"Whipped," mouthed Hermione as Draco silently laughed at Ron's expense.

* * *

 **THEO AND LUNA**

"Oh this is lovely," Luna said dreamily. She looked outside with a smile on her face.

"Was the walk up too strenuous? Do you feel tired? Do your feet hurt?" Theo asked as he laid out blankets and pillows. On the ground beside his feet was a basket filled with food. When Theo had heard that Blaise planned a picnic for Ginny, he decided to do the same for Luna.

"I'm okay," Luna said truthfully. "I've been taking potions that help. Actually I've been selling them to some of the girls in the dorm." She stared at the setting sun and motioned for Theo to come over. "Look how beautiful it is," she murmured.

Theo kept his eyes on her. He smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yes. Very beautiful."

Luna turned around to see him staring at her. She blushed slightly before sitting down on the blankets Theo set up. "Thank you for this," Luna said softly. Her eyes looked up at Theo. "No one has ever done something like this for me."

"That's a shame for them," he whispered. Theo sat down beside Luna and kissed her cheek. Then he leaned down to kiss her stomach. "How are the twins?"

"Lively," Luna replied. "Have you thought of names?"

"Yes," Theo said. He smiled and rubbed her stomach. "I've made a list for both."

Luna smiled and began to unpack the picnic basket. "Let me hear them."

"Alana, Ella, and Madeline are my top three for girls. Leo, Aiden, and Carson for boys," Theo said. He helped Luna unpack. "And for you?"

"Winnie, Kastle, and Marley for girls. Laken, Bryan, and Matthew for boys."

"Not bad, Lovegood," Theo said.

"Not bad yourself, Nott," Luna said back. She smiled as Theo kissed her forehead. "I like you a lot," Luna admitted. Her blue eyes looked at his, and she nearly drowned in the seas he called his eyes.

Theo kissed her softly then smiled against her lips. "Well that's a relief," he murmured. "Because I like you a lot too."

 **A/N Sorry I've been gone for a long time. I hadn't realized that it had been so long until someone PM'd me asking if I was okay. I've just been travelling with my family: Traveling around the U.S and visiting relatives in Canada.**

 **But I'm back! And to make up for my absence, I gave you guys some Hermione and Draco action! And of course an insight of the other couples. Sorry if some are shorter to your liking, but writers block has been giving me problems.**

 **Thank you all for the support and apologies for any mistakes!**

 **~KittyKat**


	18. Chapter 18

Hermione felt the contractions in the middle of the night. Darkness consumed the room and kept her blind. It took a minute for her to realize what had happened. The pain occurred in her lower abdomen. The first contraction caused her to whimper in pain. The second came quickly in surprise.

"Draco!"

His name resonated throughout her room and reached the bedroom two doors away. The platinum haired Slytherin jolted awake from the sound of her voice. He clumsily got out of bed, rushing to his faux-wife's room with his wand in hand.

"Hermione? What's wrong?" Draco all but threw himself at her. He kneeled down beside her on the bed. "Lumos," he muttered.

Hermione cried out when another contraction came. Draco brushed her curls out of her face and looked down at her in concern. Hermione said nothing for a few minutes as she waited for the next contraction. When it occurred later than she anticipated, she knew she was okay.

"Braxton-Hicks contractions," Hermione muttered. She turned over to lay on her side. "False labor."

"Are you sure?" Draco asked. "Let me take you to the Hospital Wing," he said. "Just in case." He felt more worried than he would ever admit. 'What if' scenarios played in his mind and caused images he didn't like to imagine.

"Draco, the baby won't be coming until Wednesday," Hermione said. "I'm sorry I woke you," she said sheepishly. She had read about false labor, and knew the signs of it: contractions in the lower abdomen, irregular intervals, and the response to her change in position. The moment she turned to lay on her side, the contractions seemed to stop.

Draco sighed and shook his head. "Don't be sorry." He leaned down to kiss Hermione's forehead. "But let me take you to the Hospital Wing."

"No, I'm okay."

"Just in ca-"

"I'm tired, and I don't want to go to the Hospital Wing."

They stared at each other in a standoff. Both were stubborn, and both wanted different things.

"I'm the one having the baby," Hermione stated.

"I'm still the father of the baby," Draco stated.

Golden eyes clashed against grey ones. Minutes seemed to pass yet neither of them moved. Eventually Draco knew what needed to be done. He muttered, "Nox," then placed his wand on the nearby nightstand. Then he lifted the covers and laid down beside Hermione.

"Draco?"

"If you're gonna stay here, then I'm staying with you," Draco murmured. "Bloody stubborn witch." He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

Hermione could help but to smile. "Hey, Malfoy?" she whispered.

"Yes, Granger?" he mumbled into her hair.

"You're not that bad when you aren't being a dick."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Draco decided to skip out on classes for the day. After all, it was his last day before becoming a parent and he thought he deserved a bit of time alone. As he walked around the Black Lake however, his only thoughts were of a certain curly haired Gryffindor. He couldn't help but to think of that morning, after the incident with Hermione's false labor.

He had laid on his side, pressed against her back as she slept in his arms. Sunlight streamed in through the windows and illuminated the room. A ray fell right onto Hermione's face, causing her features to seem more innocent and relaxed. Draco couldn't help but to brush a stray curl out of her face. He couldn't help but to marvel at how warm and soft she felt.

This girl... This sweet innocent girl was a prime example of everything he was raised to hate. She was so intelligent yet to naive when it came to the outside world. Her blood status was enough of a reason for him to hate her. After that, it was her prissy Gryffindor attitude that got in the way. Yet for some reason he couldn't find it in himself to let her go.

Draco sighed as he made another lap around the Black Lake. He shook his head, as if that would shake the thoughts of Hermione from his mind. He was sure that she was wondering where he went. Breakfast was over by now, and surely she would be confused as to why he wasn't there for classes. But Draco had planned this ahead of time, and told Harry and Blaise to make sure she was okay.

He just needed time to think. Time to process. In a day's time, he was going to be a father. But the thought of raising a child was...terrifying. Despite his efforts to stay calm, there was always a small part of him that was scared he would fail.

 _Don't be like him_ , Draco told himself. _Not like him_.

All movement came to an abrupt stop as a slow creeping darkness gripped Draco. His face drained of all color as a coldness washed over him. A ragged breath escaped his lips as he tried to breathe normally. But no matter how hard he tried to stop the dark thoughts- the dark memories- they pushed their way to the front of his mind.

 _"Lucius, please. Lucius he's just a boy!"_

 _"Let go of me, Cissa," hissed Lucius. He roughly pushed his wife away, causing her frail frame to fall onto the hardwood floor. His grey eyes were blazing as he turned to face the six year old carbon copy of him. "Stand up straight, boy," Lucius ordered._

 _Draco fixed his posture and stared straight ahead, not daring to look his father in the eyes. He didn't even dare to glace at his mother, who was on the floor still._

 _"Do you know what you did wrong?" Lucius asked calmly._

 _Draco inhaled sharply. Fear gripped his throat as he struggled to decipher which was the correct answer: the lie or the truth? He could tell his time to answer was quickly running out. "No," he lied._

 _"No...?"_

 _"No, Sir," Draco corrected himself._

 _For a moment, there was a silence. It was never good when things were quiet, he knew that much. So when the back of his father's hand collided with his cheek, Draco saw it as no surprise. His head whipped to the side with a clear red mark on his pale cheek. Lucius grabbed a fist full of his hair and pulled harshly as he forced Draco to look up at him._

 _A cry came from Narcissa as she screamed at Lucius to stop. Draco could only bit the inside of his cheek to refrain from showing his pain, but the sadness showed in his eyes. His grey eyes that came from his father._

 _"You were fraternizing with that muggle filth today!" Lucius shouted in Draco's face. "What had I told you before I took you to London?"_

 _"Do not speak to the muggles," Draco answered, without missing a heartbeat. "Do not look at the muggles. Do not touch the muggles."_

 _Lucius gave his hair another hard yank. "And what did you do the moment I turned my back?"_

 _Draco did not reply this time. He couldn't bring himself to talk about what happened. Mostly because he was scared of his father's reaction, but also because...he was confused._

 _He had been in London with his parents, staying close to Narcissa as they walked down the busy streets of London. He eyes remained forward, though disregarded the people they landed upon. Eventually their walk came to an end as they approached a shop. It looked old and abandoned, but a mere paper OPEN sign was taped to the front. Lucius and Narcissa went in and had left Draco outside._

 _"Stay by the door," Lucius had ordered._

 _And Draco did...for the first few minutes. His short attention span led to him looking around the streets and at the nearby shops. He glanced a the shop next to the one he was at, but saw a large sign with words he couldn't read. All he could recognize was a tooth, which for some reason had a face, and arms, and legs. In its hand was a toothbrush._

 _"My mum and dad work in here," came a quiet soft voice._

 _Draco's eyes had darted over to the door to see a girl around his age. Her hair was a curly mess that resembled a bush. Her two front teeth were missing, leaving a large gap in the smile she sent his way. Her large light brown eyes stared at him, with so much kindness it nearly scared him to death._

 _"Your hair is awfully blonde," she stated._

 _"Your hair is awfully messy," he shot back._

 _Instead of getting upset, the girl laughed. "I know," she said. She walked towards him and stuck her hand out for him to shake. "It's nice to meet you."_

 _Draco stared at her hand for a full minutes, unsure of what to do. She looked harmless enough. There was no dirt on her hands. No sign of 'muggle filth' as his father loved to say. After awhile, he tentatively reached out to shake her hand. "Hi."_

 _Before he could say anything else, a large firm hand pressed against his shoulder. Draco didn't have to look up to see who it was. He quickly retracted his hand and wiped it on his slacks. The girl seemed to be aware of a dark presence and ran into the place her parents worked in. The scared look on her face must've resembled the one Draco had on._

 _"Draco," Lucius hissed. "What are you doing?"_

 _Talking to the muggle girl was what he did wrong. Looking at the muggle girl was what he did wrong. Touching the muggle girl was what he did wrong. And yet, he found himself not regretting it. He couldn't help but to feel glad it happened. The warm smile the girl sent him was more affection than he received from Lucius._

 _"Do not be deceived by muggle girls," Lucius said as he tightened his grip on Draco's hair. "They are the worst of all- whores and thieves. You will do well to remember not to associate with a muggle." Lucius released Draco's hair, and gripped his throat instead. "Muggles are filth, and Malfoys are not."_

Draco shook as he tried to push the memory away. He had to stop himself from remembering how his father had beat him. Up until Draco was eight, Lucius was a monster. He had been cruel to his wife and son. It wasn't until Draco's eighth birthday when Narcissa gained enough courage to stand up to Lucius. Of course, she had the help of Severus Snape and her sister Bellatrix.

For three years Lucius was sent away. Draco never found out where he went or what happened to him. All he knew was that once he came back, he had changed.

But Draco couldn't afford becoming anything like him. He couldn't fathom what kind of monster he might be to his future child. The thought horrified him. He thought back to his conversation with his mother before the school year started.

 _"Draco," Narcissa said softly. "You are nothing like your father."_

 _"I know," Draco replied truthfully. He stared at himself in the mirror, and ignored the physical similarities between him and his father._

 _"Draco, this parenting class-"_

 _"Mum, I'm fine."_

 _The two of them shared a look as Draco continued to get ready to go out. He was preparing to go to Roar, where he would meet Theo and Blaise._

 _Narcissa nodded slightly as she said, "You're good, Draco."_

It had taken years, but Draco eventually learned to forgive Lucius. His father tried to make up for his past mistakes by buying Draco anything and everything he wanted. And it worked. Draco and Lucius were now on good terms.

But still...the past was still there, and it could repeat itself at any moment.

Draco opened his eyes and stared at the Black Lake. "I'll do better," he vowed. "I'll do better."

* * *

Wednesday came like an unwanted storm. Anxiety ran through all of the students. Even the underclassmen were anxious. Nobody knew who would give birth first. Baby names were being suggested left and right. Though it was hardest for Hermione and Draco, due to their lack of knowledge of the baby's gender.

"What about Gemma for a girl?" Ginny suggested.

"No," Draco said curtly.

"Lucy?" Luna offered.

Hermione and Draco shared a look before shaking their heads.

"Boy names," Draco said. "Say some boy names."

"Dante," Blaise said.

"Ezra," Pansy chipped in.

More names were continuously thrown at them, but nothing ever sounded right. As breakfast started to come to an end, many students believed that none of the labors were going to occur. That was until Hannah Abbot cried out in pain. Never before had anyone seen Neville freak out as much as he did then. He shot up from his seat and ran his hands through his hair.

"The baby? Now?" he asked frantically.

Hannah could only manage to nod. She took a deep breath before getting up. Neville reached out to help her, but failed miserably when he couldn't figure out where to hold her. Eventually he wrapped his arm around her waist and rushed her out of the Great Hall.

"How wonderful," Draco muttered bitterly. He was slightly sore that Neville of all people would have a son, who would be the eldest of all the faux-children.

"Hannah told me that they're naming their son Aaron Frank, after Neville's father," Ginny said.

The dreamy smile on Luna's face only seemed to widen at the news. She leaned against Theo and rested her head on his shoulder. "How lovely."

By the end of breakfast, five other couples had gone into labor. Everyone was on edge as they made their way to their classes. All of the underclassmen parted like the Red Sea whenever they saw a pregnant witch.

Draco's arm was practically attached to Hermione's waist as they walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts. He shot everyone who got too close a glare. If Hermione noticed, she didn't say anything.

They were almost through the doorway when they heard Ginny groan in pain. The witch's face was twisted into a grimace.

"Contraction?" Blaise asked.

"Should a contraction feel like something is gripping my uterus and hurting my back in the process?"

"Yes!" Hermione answered.

"Then yes, that was a contraction."

It wasn't long until Blaise was whisking Ginny away to the Hospital Wing.

"Who knows," Draco said as he ushered Hermione into the classroom, "we might be next."

 **A/N Everyone's labors next chapter! Love you all, and thank you for the support. I've spent the past week unpacking for my trip and repacking for another one. I'm going to try my best to start writing tonight and tomorrow so I can have the next chapter up soon.**

 **It's currenly 11:10pm and I've been functioning on 4 hours of sleep. With that said, sorry for mistakes! You guys have been amazing with any mistakes though, so thank you all for that!**

 **Love,**

 **~KittyKat**


	19. Chapter 19

**BLAISE AND GINNY**

Blaise was never one to freak out. He was the calm and collected one. He kept his wits when everyone else lost theirs. But at the moment, Blaise never looked so anxious and worried. The Hospital Wing was set up like an actual hospital, with individual private rooms. He was currently standing beside Ginny as she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her hand held his in a vice like grip.

"THIS IS BLOODY PAINFUL!" she shouted as a contraction came.

Blaise's face flushed as he realized that she wasn't even going through the actual labor yet. There were still more contractions and shouting to come before the real thing happened. All he could do was let Ginny crush his hand as he tried to comfort her.

"It's going to be okay, Love. It'll be over before you know it," he said softly.

"THEN YOU HAVE THE BABY!" she shrieked.

From somewhere in another room, Blaise could head another couple going through the same thing, except with more screaming.

" _You can do this Mrs. Longbottom. Just push,_ " came a muffled voice.

" _I've been pushing! I can't do this anymore! I can't! It hurts too much!_ "

 _Bloody hell, if Longbottom is still stuck here, how long will it take us?_ Blaise thought as he looked down at Ginny. His dark brown eyes scanned over her, taking in her appearance.

Despite being tough as nails, it was clear to see that she was scared. There was fear reflecting in her eyes as she anticipated the next contraction. She had been counting how far apart the contractions were. Once they got to three to four minutes apart, she was to call for a medi-witch.

"I'm not ready for this, Blaise," Ginny whispered. Her voice sounded so vulnerable.

Blaise was at a lost for words. What could he say to comfort her? He licked his lips and leaned closer to her. He brushed her hair out of her face then traced circles on the back on her hand. "Do you know what my first impression of you was?" Blaise asked, changing the topic onto something rather odd.

Still, Ginny played along. She shook her head and said, "No."

"My first impression was, 'Oh great, another Weasley.'"

Blaise wasn't surprised when she swung to slap his arm. In fact, he laughed as she glared up at him, slightly flushed. " _But_ then I saw you on your first day at Hogwarts. That night, you snuck out and flew around the quidditch pitch. You were amazing for a first year," Blaise said, smiling at the memory. "I watched you fly for a bit. I could tell that the broom you were on wasn't yours. And after a bit of time I came to one conclusion."

"And what's that?"

"You were completely bonkers."

This time Ginny punched him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him.

"Ouch! Easy love, I was only teasing," Blaise chuckled. He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I thought that you were brave," he admitted. "Not the kind of brave that is just stupidity in disguise. The kind of brave that made you even stronger than before. I knew from that moment then that you were going to tough." He kissed her softly on the lips. "Which is why you can do this. You can go through this labor and come out stronger."

Instead of replying, Ginny cried out as a contraction came. The pain started at her back then began to spread everywhere else. She began to do one of the breathing exercises that McMiggins had taught everyone, but her breaths only seemed to become more ragged and shallow.

"Love, look at me," Blaise said once he realized what was going on. He pressed his forehead against hers and forced her to meet his gaze. "Focus on me." He held Ginny's head in his hands as he tried to calm her erratic breathing. "Breath in through your nose, out through your mouth," he said firmly. "Long breaths." Blaise moved away slightly, but kept his eyes on hers.

It wasn't long until the next contraction. Blaise wasted no time in calling for a medi-witch to come in. He stayed with Ginny through it all. Despite her shouting and screaming, Blaise remained by her side.

"Zabini, I'm going to kill you," Ginny growled out as she another contraction.

"What did I do?!" Blaise looked at Ginny, slightly appalled.

"You're the father, so you're at fault!"

Blaise shot her a confused look. "That doesn't even-"

"Mrs. Zabini, we're going to have you start pushing- _now_."

Blaise wasn't sure how long the screams and cries went on. There was a never ending assault from Ginny. Either she was spitting insults at him, crushing his hand, or hitting him. At one point she managed to do all three.

"MERLIN THIS HURTS! DAMN YOU ALL!" Ginny screamed. "I AM NEVER HAVING KIDS AFTER THIS!"

It wasn't until the medi-witch said, "One more push," did Ginny stop swearing at everyone.

She cried out as she pushed once more, and held onto Blaise for dear life as the pain nearly caused her to pass out. Neither one of them was quite sure what had happened after that. One moment Ginny was pushing, the next, a blinding light filled the room. It took awhile for their eyes to adjust once the light was gone. Once their vision was clear, the medi-witch was in front of them, holding out a crying baby boy that was swaddled in a blue blanket.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Zabini, it's a boy."

Ginny paid no mind to the medi-witch as she reached out to hold her son. She was drenched in sweat and exhausted beyond belief. But all she wanted was to hold her son.

He had dark brown hair and olive skin like his father. His eyes were closed, but Ginny would've bet a thousand galleons that they were brown. The baby boy fussed as he tried to adjust to the weird world around him. His only comfort was the slight rocking from Ginny as she held him. He felt a warm hand lightly touch his head, but was unaware that it was his own father.

"He's so small," Blaise whispered. He looked lovingly down at his son.

Ginny wasn't even aware that she was crying until she saw a tear fall onto the baby's forehead. She quickly wiped it away with the pad of her thumb, then looked up at Blaise. "Are we going with the name we picked last night?" she asked.

Blaise nodded and smiled at the baby boy. "Sebastian Alessio Zabini," he said proudly.

They had talked over the name last night, and decided to name him after Blaise's father and godfather. Blaise was hesitant at first, but Ginny loved the name. He couldn't help but to agree to the names when he saw how happy she look.

The three of them became warped into their own happy bubble. It took awhile for them to notice the medi-witch that was still staring at them.

"Sorry to interrupt, but it is protocol to weight and measure the baby, as well as have you sign the birth certificate," said the medi-witch. she held her arms out tentatively, slowly reaching for Sebastian.

Ginny couldn't held but to lean away and twist her body to shield Sebastian. She did not go through unimaginable pain just to have her son taken from her.

"Mrs. Zabini, I will give him right back. I just need to check his height and weight. This will all be done in the same room as you," said the medi-witch.

Despite Blaise's and the medi-witch's reassurance, Ginny didn't want anyone touching Sebastian. It took a whole fifteen minutes of coaxing from Blaise for her to finally allow Sebastian to be held by the medi-witch.

"He's a healthy baby boy," Blaise said softly to Ginny. "He's our son."

"Our son," Ginny echoed.

* * *

 **HARRY AND PANSY**

"You need to stop telling everyone that we're having a son," Hermione said, clearly exasperated.

"Malfoys have boys first," Draco said with equal exasperation. "Theo, don't you think that we're-" he paused and looked around the room, only to realize that Theo and Luna were both missing. "What the...? Did Lovegood burst already?"

Hermione slapped Draco's arm. "Don't change the subject!" She scowled and crossed her arms. "We might not be having a boy."

They stared at each other for a long time until they heard a pained groan from behind them. Pansy sat in her seat with her face contorted. Her eyes were shut tight and her mouth was pressed into a thin line.

"Bloody hell will the both of you end this already?" Pansy hissed through clenched teeth. "Whether it's a boy or a girl, a baby is coming today." She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, her head turned to face Harry. "Now will you get me to the Hospital Wing already, or will I have to walk there by myself?"

Harry shot up from his seat, slightly flushed. He had forgotten for a moment that Pansy was pregnant, and now going into labor. He hooked his arm around Pansy and helped her get up from her seat.

As Harry ushered Pansy out of the class room, happiness swelled in his heart. He was having a baby girl, that much he knew. And the previous night he had talked with Pansy about what their daughter's name will be.

 _"Pansy," Harry called out as_ _he came into their flat. He was drenched in sweat from quidditch practice. He kicked off his shoes and placed them by the door. "Pans?"_ _He put his broom in the corner of the room, propped up against the wall._

 _"I'm in the nursery!"_

 _Harry went to the bathroom to wash up quickly. He scrubbed dirt and sweat off his hands and face before walking to the nursery. The door was left wide open, allowing him to see into the room as he came closer._

 _"Do you like it?" Pansy asked as Harry walked into the nursery. She chewed her bottom lip and sat on the edge of her old bed._

 _The walls of the room was a soft white purple. The floor was no longer hardwood, but was instead carpeted white. A white crib was pressed against the wall, across from the bed. A mobile with brooms and wands hung above it. The windows had white curtains that matched the floor. On the walls were framed pictures of everyone. One picture had Hermione, Ron, and Harry in Hogsmeade with their arms around each other. Another picture showed Harry, Ron, and Ginny flying through the air on their brooms. There were pictures of Pansy with Draco and Blaise. Some of them included Theo. But only one of the framed pictures stood out from all of them._

 _It was a picture from their Hogsmeade trip. Harry and Pansy had sat beside each other as Pansy ate. His arm was laid casually on her chair, but could have been mistaken for being around her instead. Pansy was laughing as Ron accidentally snorted up butterbeer. At the moment, no one had realized that Colin Creevey was there as well, poised with him camera in hand._

 _"I got the Creevey kid to give me the picture," Pansy said when she saw Harry staring at it. When he was quiet, she continued to speak. "But what do you think of the room? I got Theo and Luna to come help. Afterwards we went to their flat for tea. They-"_

 _"I love it," Harry said. He looked around the room before walking over to his wife. "I should have been here to help."_

 _Pansy shook her head. "It was fine, really," she said softly. She pointed to the crib then said, "I was going to put her name on the crib, but...we still haven't decided."_

 _Harry looked down at Pansy as she looked up at him. He stared into her eyes, and realized for a moment that they were green. They had flecks of brown in them, but they were still green. "You wanted to name her after your grandmother," he said. "I wanted to name her after my mother."_

 _"So which one do we choose?" Pansy asked._

 _Harry shook his head. "No choosing. Which ever name you want will be our daughter's name. You're the one carrying her after all."_

"Potter, get a move on," Pansy snapped and she started to walk faster. Her feet and ankles ached with each step.

Harry felt the urge to point out how it looked as though she was waddling, not walking. His steps became more determined as he focused on his current task: get Pansy to the Hospital Wing.

It seemed forever to get there, but eventually they did. A medi-witch ushered them into a room and helped Pansy get onto the table. The medi-witch had her wand in her hand, and with a flick of her wrist, Pansy's clothes were switched out with a hospital gown.

"I'm Damaris," said the medi-witch. "I will be the one delivering your baby. I will be coming in and out of the room until it is time for labor." Damaris turned to Harry. Her coffee eyes were narrowed at him in a stern manner. "Count her contractions. Once they start occuring less than five minutes apart, call for me. I will be across the hall," she told him.

Harry nodded, though Damaris still shot him a stony look as she left the room. "She doesn't seem to like me," he said once she was gone.

"Well I don't like you very much at the moment either, Potter," Pansy hissed.

The room grew quiet as Harry began to time the contractions. After a little over five minutes, Pansy groaned as another contraction came. Harry rushed to her side and held her hand, only to be trapped in a tight grip. Though he acted as though he wasn't hurt while her nails dug into his skin.

"Fuck!" Pansy shouted.

Fresh tears sprung to her eyes, though she kept them from spilling down her cheeks as she tried to focus on her breathing. After what felt like an eternity, the contraction stopped. Her grip on Harry's hand loosened, but she didn't let him go. Her eyes closed as the sound of her labored breathing filled the air.

"Have you decided on the name?" Harry asked softly, trying to distract Pansy.

She nodded weakly. Her eyes had a glare of fear in them as she looked around the white room. "Potter I'm not sure if I can do this," she said quietly. "And don't give me some motivational speech about how I can get through this. This really is too much." A single rogue tear trickled down her cheek, but she didn't start to cry.

Harry reached out with his free hand to wipe the tear away. His soft touch caused Pansy to look at him, and an inaudible gasp left her lips as she stared into his emerald eyes. They were burning with a soft fire as they looked at her. She couldn't recall a time when someone had looked at her like _that_. Like she was more than a Slytherin brat. Harry squeezed her hand then kissed her knuckles. His lips felt soft against her skin.

"You're stronger than you look, Pansy Parkinson," he said. "And until you realize it, I'm going to be here to remind you."

A comforting silence filled the room. Pansy couldn't help but to thank the Sorting Hat for pairing her with Harry. There weren't many guys that would have put up with her. And at the moment, despite her fear of how much pain she will be going through, Harry managed to calm her. One of his hands held hers as the other one stroked her hair. Each time a contraction came, he murmured soothing words into her ear.

"She'll be beautiful you know," Harry told her, referring to their daughter. "Just like her mum."

And when the time came to give birth, Pansy found herself in a better mental state than before. Though, her screams hardly showed it as she directed harsh words and profanity at Harry.

"You bloody wanker!" she screamed. "This is worse than hell!" Sweat covered her body and plastered her hair to her face.

Harry kissed her knuckles and mumbled, "You'll get through this."

Another bloodcurdling scream rang out, followed by a sob. "Potter, I'll kill you if I survive this," she cried. Her face was red and twisted in pain. "It hurts so much, Harry."

The Gryffindor felt his heart ache for the girl in front of him. He was helpless as she was in pain. "Just keep pushing, Love."

"You push!" she snapped.

Damaris interrupted them but giving Pansy another order to push. "You can't stop pushing now, Sweetheart. It's almost over."

Pansy cried out once more as she tried pushing. She felt Harry's lips on her knuckles once more. She could vaguely make out the sound of his voice, edging her on.

Suddenly a bright light filled the room, followed by the sound of a baby's cry. Once the light subsided, a baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket was in Damaris's arms. There were no words as the baby girl was given to Pansy. The raven haired witch cried when she saw her daughter. The baby's eyes were closed tightly as her cries slowly died out. Sobs racked through Pansy as she looked down at her. For a brief moment, she looked up to glance at Harry, though his eyes did not meet hers. He was too transfixed on his daughter. His mouth was slightly ajar as he stared at the small baby girl.

"Amara Lily," Pansy said softly. It was then when Harry looked at her. "I know you want her first name to be Lily, but...it's too special. It should be given to your future daughter. Your _real_ future daughter, that you'll have with your future wife."

Harry nodded. He didn't look upset in the slightest. His attention merely turned back to the baby girl. "You hear that, Love? Your name is Amara," he said softly.

* * *

 **THEO AND LUNA**

"Oh dear Merlin! Was this necessary, Albus?" McGonagall hissed. She stared at the two unconscious students in front of her. They were eerily still, and if it wasn't for the slight rising and falling of their chests, she would've thought that they were dead.

"It's for their own protection," Dumbledore said in a grave tone. "If the ministry gets word of Miss. Lovegood's condition..." his voice trailed off.

"What will we do about the children?" she asked.

Their attention turned to the two cribs beside the bed. A baby boy was fussing in the crib beside Theo, and in the crib beside Luna was a quiet baby girl.

"Nothing," Dumbledore stated. "For now, we must go on as if nothing is wrong." He waved his hand in front of Theo and Luna. "I believe they were planning on naming their son Leo?"

"Leo Carson," McGonagall replied, recalling the name she had heard Theo and Luna agree on that morning.

"Ah, yes. And Winnie Ella for the girl." Dumbledore waved his hand once more. "I've given them memories of the labor. Although the memory will be vague, it will be better than nothing." He sighed and gave the couple a pitying look. It was a shame that they never experienced such a bonding moment, but it had to be done.

When Luna had gone into labor on her way to her first class, Dumbledore knew he had to keep her from going to the Hospital Wing. The medi-witches that the Ministry had sent were too untrustworthy. He had to get Madame Pomfrey to perform the labor in Theo and Luna's flat. Then right after, he obliviated them and casted a sleeping charm.

"Miss. Lovegood and Mr. Nott have a strong connection already," Dumbledore said. He made his way towards the door with McGonagall following not far behind. "They will prevail." He waved his hand once more, then the couple began to stir.

* * *

 **RON AND LAVENDER**

Parenting 101 had started out rather dull. McMiggins decided to not teach, due to the lack of students. By the time class was nearly over, two more couples had gone into labor. Ron was beginning that he'd have the rotten luck of Lavender going into labor in the middle of Potions. If that had happened, Snape would have only prevented Ron from doing anything by questioning his actions. Snape lived to torment the red haired wizard. The other week, Snape had made a fool out of Ron and insinuated that he would be an awful father.

But to his luck, Lavender had gone into labor in the last few minutes of class. He rushed her to the Hospital Wing, trying to avoid the traffic of students that would soon be coming once classes changed. His hands were sweaty from the anticipation. Nervousness radiated off of him.

Even once Lavender was in the hospital bed, his nerves did not falter. Ron wipes his palms on his slacks and paced back and forth. He was counting down the minutes between each contraction. Though, he took the medi-witch's order too seriously and even went as far as to telling Lavender to be quiet as he counted.

"Forty-five... Forty-six... Forty-"

"Ron," Lavender cut in.

His head whipped to the side to face her. His eyes were frantic as he rushed to her side. "A contraction already?!" Ron exclaimed. "That's too early!"

"No! _No_! Ron, calm down! You're worrying me," Lavender snapped. She held Ron's hand and gripped his hand tightly to keep him from running out of the room to get Rochel, their medi-witch. "Take a deep breath."

Ron did as she said.

"Another."

He obeyed.

"Better?"

Surprisingly, he did feel better. Though, it had little to do with his breathing. Just holding Lavender's hand was comforting. He leaned down and kissed her softly. "I should be the one saying these things to you." His free hand rested on her stomach. "Our little boy is coming."

Lavender smiling lovingly at her boyfriend- now faux-husband. She hoped that one day they would become a real family. Lavender loved Ron. At first, she had a small schoolgirl crush on him. He was cute, funny, and played quidditch. But then they started dating and things got serious. She couldn't help but to fall in love.

And when, she fell, she fell hard. It was more like crashing, really, and it was right into Ron's arms. She was sure that she love him, and this year would be a test of whether or not they'd survive after Hogwarts. After all, Ron wanted to become an auror, and she was stilling trying to find out what she wanted to be. All she knew was that she didn't want to be some stay at home housewife that raised the kids.

"Do you love me?" Lavender asked.

"Yes." The answer was firm. Ron looked into Lavender's eyes and smiled. "Of course I love you." He captured her lips in a slow passionate kiss. Their lips moved in sync as they forgot about the world around them. It wasn't until a sharp pain drew them apart.

"Shit!" Lavender swore. The contraction was worse than the last one. She could feel the pain start at her lower back then spread. Her grip on Ron's hand was so tight that his hand began so fall asleep from the blood loss.

"Love, you're squeezing my hand a bit tighter than necess-"

"Shut up, Ronald! I'm having a child today!"

Ron was quiet for the rest of the contractions. He remained by Lavender's side, trying to comfort her in anyway possible. It must've been hours until she began to go through the actual labor. Her screams were shrill as she felt the pain of giving birth. For a moment Ron had thought that she was dying.

"RONALD WEASLEY WE WILL NEVER HAVE KIDS!"

"Love, just push-"

"YOU BLOODY PUSH!"

"Love, I'm not-"

"THAT'S RIGHT, YOU AREN'T THE ONE GIVING BIRTH SO SHUT UP!"

Ron flushed as he gave up trying to console Lavender. Rochel almost pitied him, but the older witch knew that this was just an insight on his future if he ever had kids.

"Mrs. Weasley, please push," Rochel said.

"I'M TRYING!" Lavender shouted. "I'M TRYING SO FUCKING HARD TO PUSH BUT GUESS WHAT? I CAN'T BECAUSE IT FUCKING HURTS!" Suddenly her pained face morphed into something much more distressed. "It hurts," she sobbed.

Ron gently wiped her tears away. He kissed the trails that they left on her cheeks before kissing her lips. "I know it does, but you have to push," Ron whispered into her ear. "We're having a son, you know. And we can't have him without you."

Lavender cried out as she tried to push once more, but exhaustion kept her from doing so. "I'm so tired. Can't we take a break?"

"He's going to love you," Ron whispered. "Our son, I mean. He'll have my hair and your eyes. We'll be like a family."

"A family?" Lavender echoed.

"Yes, Love. But we can't have that family without you pushing."

Lavender nodded slightly, ignoring the way her body ached as she prepared herself to start pushing once more. She screamed and felt Ron kissing her forehead. Then a light flashed.

She heard her son before she saw him. His cries rang throughout the room. She was so tired that she didn't even realize that she was holding her son until the crying stopped.

Lavender looked down to see her son. His eyes opened, showing their blue orbs. He had fiery red hair like his father, but curled like his mother's hair. His face was pink and slightly wet from his tears. But Lavender thought that he was the most beautiful thing in the world. For a brief moment, the baby boy's lips moved up into a smile. A sob of joy came from Lavender.

"Oh Ron, did you see that?"

He nodded and laughed, wiping away the tears he had. "He smiled. See? I told you that he'd love you."

Lavender softly cried as she held her son close. "Oh he's perfect."

The baby boy gurgled then smiled again, leaving a trail of spit coming out of the corner of his mouth.

"What's his name?" Rochel asked.

The couple looked up, surprise for a moment that she was still there. But then Lavender smiled through her tears and said, "Felix Luke Weasley." She smiled down at her son and gave a small giggle. "His name is Felix Luke Weasley."

 **A/N Only Hermione and Draco's labor left... Boy or girl?**

 **Love you all! Sorry for mistakes and I'm so grateful for the support! I'm currently in New York City, and tomorrow I will be going to Philadelphia, so lots of more traveling! I got sunburn yesterday so wear sunscreen people!**

 **~KittyKat**


	20. Chapter 20

It was late at night. The Hospital Wing was empty and dark, except for the single room that remained occupied. Screams and cries came from the room, causing anyone within earshot to shudder and cringe. The sounds would last minutes before ceasing, only to start again in timed intervals.

Outside the room were Ron and Theo with worried expressions on their faces. They stayed as close to the room as they could without going insane from the noises that came from inside. It pained them to know that they could do nothing to stop the screams. All there was left to do was wait.

Inside the room was completely different. Hermione Granger laid on a hospital bed, writhing in pain as another contraction came. She screamed and cried and begged for it all to stop. Next to her was Madam Pomfrey, who was trying her best to sooth the suffering girl. In the far corner stood Dumbledore and McGonagall, both of which were whispering frantically. Neither of them were aware of what was wrong, nor were they aware of what to do.

All the meanwhile, Draco Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. Harry and Blaise had took off to find the missing Slytherin. The last time anyone had seen him was at dinner.

 _Harry and Blaise entered the Great Hall at the same time, both talking quickly but with grins on their faces. They were discussing their newborns. Harry boasted about how beautiful his daughter was, and Blaise argued that his son was the best looking baby out there. As they got to the Slytherin table, they noticed that Hermione, Draco, and Theo were already there. The three of them were smiling as Theo talked lively._

 _"Leo is a loud little bugger. Winnie is the opposite. She's quiet and so precious. A bit like you, Minnie," Theo said, winking at Hermione._

 _Hermione laughed and shook her head. "Theo and Leo. Minnie and Winnie?" she mused. "Just a coincidence or did you and Luna plan this?"_

 _Theo shook his head. "Leo is short for Leonid, but we're just calling him Leo. As for Winnie... well, we wanted to name her after her godmother." Theo looked pointedly at Hermione._

 _"I'm her godmother?" Hermione gasped._

 _"You and Drake are Winnie's godparents," Theo clarified. He turned to see Harry and Blaise, who had sat down beside him. "Blaise and Ginny are Leo's godparents."_

 _Blaise's smile widened further. "Are you serious, mate? I'm his godfather?" He felt slightly bad that Theo and Luna weren't his son's godparents, but he and Ginny agreed that there was only one couple that deserved the title._

 _"Yes, but we both know who the godparents of your son is," Theo said, eyeing Hermione and Draco. "What's the little demon's name anyways?"_

 _"Sebastian," Blaise said proudly. He nodded at Harry and said, "Weasley and Brown are Amara's godparents?"_

 _Harry nodded and smiled brightly. Hermione squealed and congratulated him on his daughter. She asked all three of the new fathers about their newborns until Ron showed up. He was beaming like the others as he sat next to Hermione._

 _"Felix Luke Weasley," he informed them as Hermione threw her arms around his neck._

 _"Ron, you must be so happy!" Hermione's face was beginning to hurt from how much she was smiling. "Is Lavender okay?" She turned to the others. "And Luna, Ginny, and Pansy- they're okay too?"_

 _Ron nodded. "After an hour she was just fine. She's back at our flat already, but she's out cold."_

 _"It took ages to get Pansy to leave Amara," Harry said. "I had to put a sleeping charm on her."_

 _Blaise snorted, recalling the memory of how angry Ginny was when she was told she had to leave Sebastian. "Ginny hexed the medi-witch."_

 _"Did she really?" Hermione gasped._

 _"Bat-Bogey hex," Blaise replied with a nod._

 _She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off when a letter suddenly landed in front of Draco. It was stamped with the Malfoy seal, which somehow made it seem intimidating._

 _Draco tentatively reached out to grab the letter. He frowned and got up from his seat. "I'll be back," he said before kissing Hermione's forehead. He left the Great Hall rather quickly, which worried Hermione. Ron placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly._

 _"Malfoy will be okay."_

 _They continued eating their dinner, and Hermione listened as all of the guys gushed about their newborns. She was elated to know that she was the godmother of both Winnie and Sebastian. She felt bad that Theo and Luna were not godparents, but Theo didn't seem to mind. He was too busy obsessing over his son and daughter to care._

 _As dinner came to an end, Hermione began to worry about Draco. Where was he? She wanted to go look for him, but Blaise and Harry stopped her immediately._

 _"You're still pregnant, Hermione," Harry said._

 _"And you must be tired," Blaise pointed out._

 _They were both right, much to Hermione's dismay. All four guys led Hermione to her dorm. She had hoped that Draco would be there, but instead the dorm was quiet and empty._

 _"Do you want us to stay until Drake comes?" Theo asked._

 _Hermione gave a soft smile and shook her head. "Oh it's alright. You all should go back to your families."_

 _Harry shook his head and snorted. "They're all sleeping, and the babies are in the Nursery. Madam Pomfrey won't discharge the babies until tomorrow."_

 _"Still, it's not necessary for you guys to-"_

 _"We aren't leaving," Ron stated as he plopped down on an armchair. He sighed as he relaxed for the first time that day. "We'll leave once Malfoy arrives."_

 _The other guys followed suit, leaving Hermione with no choice but to let them stay. The five of them stayed up in the common room talking, but more importantly, waiting. It was clear to see that Hermione was staying up, waiting for Draco to come into the dorm. But hours passed and the blonde never showed._

 _When ten o'clock came, Harry attempted to get Hermione to sleep, or at least take a nap. But she refused and demanded for him to tell her more about his daughter. By the time eleven o'clock arrived however, Hermione felt exhausted. She could feel her eyelids getting heavy._

 _"Hermione, you should really sleep," Harry pressed. He looked at the others, who nodded in agreement._

 _"Harry, I'm f-" A stabbing pain in her lower back cut her off. The awful sensation traveled to the rest of her body, causing her to whimper._

 _"Hermione?" Harry got up immediately and rushed to her side. Ron followed suit and placed a hand on her shoulder. "The baby?"_

 _All it took was one nod before all four guys sprung into action. Harry and Ron helped her get up and supported her as they rushed out of the dorm. Theo and Blaise were in front of them as they walked through the dark halls, their wands illuminated._

 _"Where's Draco?" Hermione asked helplessly._

 _"I'll go find him," Blaise said reassuringly._

 _"I'll come with," Harry added, surprising everyone. They looked at him in shock until he said, "Marauders Map."_

 _Hermione and Ron nodded in understanding, although Theo and Blaise were still confused. The two Slytherins didn't question it though. Theo took Harry's place by Hermione's side as he and Blaise took off._

 _When they arrived at the Hospital Wing, it was dark and seemingly empty. They called out for Madame Pomfrey, only for no response. Ron moved ahead and opened one of the rooms. He waved for Theo and Hermione to come over._

 _The room was dimly lit by candles, but was still the same as the rooms the other births had taken place. Ron and Theo helped Hermione get onto the bed before Theo left to find Madame Pomfrey._

 _"Ron, I'm scared," Hermione whispered._

 _"Don't be," Ron said. "It's going to be okay." He smiled and kissed Hermione's forehead. "You're the brightest witch of our age. You'll be just fine."_

 _She wanted to believe him, but something felt wrong. Something felt out of place. And as she was about to say something else, another contraction came._

 _"Bloody hell!" Hermione shouted._

 _She grabbed Ron's hand, which was already bruised from Lavender's earlier grip. But he didn't complain as he tried to placate her. "You'll be okay," he promised. "You'll be okay."_

 _It was then when Madam Pomfrey and Theo rushed into the room. "Out! Out!" Madam Pomfrey said to Theo and Ron. The older witch shooed them outside the room. She had a worried expression on her face. "One of you, please go get Professor Dumbledore," she whispered so Hermione wouldn't hear._

 _Ron was the one to leave. He was running as he left. Surely if Dumbledore was needed, then something was wrong. He prayed to Merlin that things would be okay. He made a promise to Hermione, and it would break his and her heart if he failed._

 _"Where is Mr. Malfoy?" Madam Pomfrey asked Theo._

 _His blue eyes were sad as he shook his head. "We don't know."_

It was two hours ago when Harry and Blaise left to find Draco. At this point even those two seemed to be missing. Ron found himself crying as he heard Hermione scream once more. He wanted to cast a silencing charm on her, but doing so would leave him and Theo ignorant to what was happening in the room.

Ron glanced at the Slytherin, only to find him staring at the door with a grim expression. Theo had grown fond of Hermione, that was sure, and a part of him died as he heard her in pain.

"Where is Malfoy when you need him?" Ron groaned as he tried to block out the screams.

Theo could only nod in agreement as he sat on the floor, leaning against the wall across from the room Hermione was in. Suddenly the sound of footsteps reached their ears. Ron and Theo looked up with hopeful eyes, only to see Harry and Blaise and...McMiggins?

"We couldn't find Draco," Harry said. "He isn't at Hogwarts anymore."

Everyone flinched as a scream rang out. McMiggins's eyes widened in horror.

"Mr. Malfoy is not present?" she asked worriedly.

"No, he-"

"He _needs_ to be here in order for that baby to come," she hissed. "If he doesn't show then the labor won't end." McMiggins flinched as another scream came. "Go find Professor Snape. He will know how to find Draco."

Blaise was leaving before she finished her sentence. He couldn't bare the thought of letting Hermione suffer any longer.

 _Draco, where are you?_

* * *

Draco hadn't meant to disappear for so long. At first he had gone to the Black Lake to read the letter his father sent him.

 _Draco,_

 _I have been informed that as of today I will be a grandfather._ _Saturday will be a visitation day for family to meet the sprogs. Your mother and I will be coming. We expect a letter back informing us of the child beforehand._

 _-Lucius_

The letter was brief and straightforward in a very Lucius Malfoy way. Draco couldn't help but to snort at the letter. After reading it several times, he had crumpled the letter then tossed it into the Black Lake.

Then he sat. He was on the ground, watching as the sun was setting. He thought about returning back to Hermione. Hell, he wanted to go back to her. But he couldn't bring himself to move. Every time he did, he was reminded of the baby.

The thought of becoming a father tormented him once more. He couldn't risk becoming like Lucius. He wanted to be better. He wanted to _do_ better. But how? How can he be different from his father when he didn't even know how a father should be?

 _"You're different from him, Draco,"_ Narcissa had once told him. _"You are not like your father."_

Then why did it not feel like that? His cold grey eyes were from Lucius. His shiny platinum hair was from Lucius. His infamous smirk was from Lucius.

Just the thought of his resemblance to Lucius made his blood boil. He ran his hand through his hair and scowled bitterly. Lucius might have changed, but the memories stayed. Draco could recall the day his father came back. It was the day that Draco knew he hated his father.

 _"Happy birthday, Draco," Narcissa said warmly. She held his hand as they walked through Diagon Alley._

 _In the young boy's hand was an ice cream cone. He licked the ice cream quickly to prevent it from melting all over his hand. The weather was hotter than usual in June, which didn't go unnoticed by Draco. Something was off about that day, and everyone seemed to know it. Still, Draco acted ignorant. After all, it was his ninth birthday._

 _"Mum, can we go home soon? It's awfully hot out," Draco said._

 _He pretended not to notice the falter in his mother's step as he said that._

 _"Oh, why don't we go to Hogsmeade and stop by Zonko's first? You can buy anything that you'd like." Narcissa's grip on Draco's hand tightened slightly. A fake smile was plastered on her face as she looked at him with hopeful eyes._

 _Draco slowly nodded, and tried to ignore the nervousness in his mother's tone. "Okay," he agreed. He watched as Narcissa visibly relaxed._

 _They spent the whole day out. Narcissa even allowed Draco to eat at a muggle restaurant in London callled Nandos. She was obviously trying to distract the boy. She even went as far as to take him around to muggle stores. It wasn't until it was nearly sunset when Narcissa took Draco back to the Malfoy Manor._

 _She held his hand and walked slightly in front of him, as if she was shielding him from something. Her face was etched with worry as they walked down the walkway towards the large front doors._

 _"Draco, you know that I love you," Narcissa said softly. "And I will always love you."_

 _"I love you too," Draco said, slightly confused at what brought this on. "Mum, what's wrong?"_

 _"Please don't hate me, Draco. I had no choice, and he really does seem changed."_

 _"Who seems changed?"_

 _His question was answered when the front doors flung open, revealing a blonde haired man with cold quicksilver eyes. Lucius Malfoy stood a mere yard away from his son and wife. He looked slightly older, due to the three years he had spent away from them._

 _"Draco," Lucius said smoothly, causing the boy to jump in fear._

 _Draco hid behind Narcissa and closed his eyes tightly. "No," he whispered quietly. "No, no, no."_

 _"Draco," Lucius said more firmly. "Come give me a hug."_

 _He did not move. He couldn't, even if he wanted to. Just hearing Lucius's voice sent chills down his spine and paralyzed him in fear._

 _"Lucius, he's tired. Why don't we have a proper welcoming in the morning?" Narcissa reasoned._

 _Draco flinched, knowing that his father would be staying._

 _"A hug won't take too long," Lucius argued. "Draco, come here."_

 _It was out of fear and instinct that Draco moved out from behind Narcissa. His eyes were on the ground as he slowly made his way to Lucius. He could feel his throat tightening as he got closer. His lungs burned as he seemed to forget how to breathe._

 _Cold rough hands grabbed his shoulders, causing him to shudder and flinch. The emotionless embrace between father and son felt like it lasted an eternity. Draco refrained from cringing and pulling away, terrified of what might happen if he did so._

 _"Happy birthday, Draco," Lucius said before stepping back. He laid a hand on Draco's shoulder, causing him to recoil back. If Lucius noticed, he didn't say or do anything. "Come inside."_

 _Slowly he walked into the Manor. His eyes were wide and alert, cautious of everything around him. As Lucius led Draco to his room, he contemplated running away. He wouldn't make it far, he knew that for sure, but it being around his father was torture._

 _Lucius opened Draco's bedroom door. To Draco's surprise, the room was covered in wrapped and unwrapped presents._

 _"This is all for you, to make up for the birthdays I missed," Lucius said, eyeing Draco for his reaction._

 _ **Numb**. That was how Draco felt at the moment. He wasn't sure what to say or do. He wasn't sure of anything around him except the gifts and Lucius._ _But slowly and surely, red clouded his vision. Anger and hatred surged through Draco._

 _Had Lucius expect a warm welcome? Had he expect for Draco to forgive him for the past? Had he expect for anything to change?_

 _How dare he? How dare he destroy his family, leave, then come back as if nothing had happened?_

 _"Thank you," Draco spat out. He looked at the monster in front of him, his face expressionless. "It's good to have you back, father."_

For years Draco tried to forgive Lucius. For years Lucius tried to atone for his past. But it never happened. It never could. The only change was that Draco no longer feared his father.

"I'm not him," Draco said aloud. "I'm not him." He repeated those words like a mantra. He would do better than his father and love his child, fake or not.

It must have been an hour or so before Draco got up to return to Hermione. The sun had already set, leaving him to walk back in the dark. Each step he took towards the castle felt heavy. His throat slowly began to close up. He was just about to enter the castle when he realized that he couldn't go to Hermione. Not yet anyways. There was something he needed to do first.

 _How do I get out of Hogwarts?_

* * *

"So this is it," Lucius drawled. "This is the day you get your revenge." He eyed the wand that was pointed at his chest.

Draco stood in front of him, eyes narrowed and wand pointed at his father. All that stood between them was an office desk. Draco didn't know what he planned on doing when he arrived at the Manor. All he had known was that he needed to see Lucius, and the moment he saw him in his office, Draco had his wand out. His hand didn't shake as he stared at his father.

"I'm just here for an answer," Draco said through gritted teeth. He slowly sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Lucius said nothing as he watched his son glare at him. "Why did you do it?"

There was no reply.

"Why did you do it?" Draco repeated more forcefully.

Grey eyes clashed as they stared at each other. Minutes passed before Lucius finally responded.

"I don't know."

"You don't know," Draco repeated. He waited for Lucius to say something. To say _anything_. But when no words came, Draco snapped. His shoulders shook slightly from the anger that surged through his veins. "You don't know," he spat out. A hollow laugh escaped his lips. "You don't know? You abused me for years!" Draco roared. "You destroyed anything that could have been good in my life! _You destroyed me_. And now you can't even give me a reason why!"

"Draco-"

"No," he snarled. "Don't 'Draco' me. I pretended for years that everything was fine, but it's not. You made sure of that, didn't you?" He gave a bitter laugh. "I'm supposed to be a father today. I don't know if it's a boy or girl. I don't know if the birth already happened. I don't know, because I can't be a father until I say this."

The young Malfoy got up, his wand lowering by his side. His cold expression softened slightly. "Thank you."

Lucius's eyes widened in surprise.

"Thank you for teaching me what _not_ to do as a father. You ruined my childhood already, but I won't let you ruin my child's. The child is my flesh and blood- _my family_. I'll learn from your mistakes and I swear on Salthazar's grave, I'll give my child a better life."

He turned around and began to walk out of the office.

"Draco."

He paused by the door. Reluctantly he turned around to face Lucius. Their eyes met, grey on grey.

"Congratulations on becoming a father."

* * *

"Mr. Zabini," Snape drawled. He looked at the student with raised eyebrows. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Blaise rolled his eyes. "It's important," he snapped. "Draco's gone missing and Hermione is in labor. We need your help finding him."

"I'm sure Mr. Malfoy will turn up-"

"Hermione's suffering, Professor," Blaise hissed. "She's been going through the labor for hours now. It won't end until Draco's with her."

Snape said nothing for a moment. He stepped to the side and motioned for Blaise to step inside, much to the younger Slytherin's surprise. Still, Blaise went inside Snape's lair. He couldn't help but to observe everything about Snape's quarters. Though, there was nothing that really stood out.

"Three hours ago, Draco came here asking for a way to go back to the Malfoy Manor," Snape said. "I made him a portkey- Oh don't look at me like that, Zabini." Snape scowled at the judgemental look Blaise sent him. "It is against the law to make unauthorized portkeys, but it had to be done. Draco had to talk to Lucius."

"Why? And why so long?" Blaise asked.

Snape pressed his lips together. He was the only person outside of the Malfoy family that knew of Lucius's abuse. Narcissa and Draco had asked him to keep it a secret, so he did.

"Only Draco can answer that question."

"Well make me a portkey so I can get him back here," Blaise said.

"Mr. Zabini, I-"

There was a was a sudden break in the air, followed by a thud. The atmosphere of the room seemed to shift as another person appeared in the room. In front of Blaise was Draco, who was red faced and disheveled.

"Blaise?"

"There you bloody are!" Blaise exclaimed. He scowled at his best friend and fought the urge to punch him. "Hermione's in labor. She's at the Hospital Wi-"

Draco was gone before he could continue. He stormed out of Snape's chambers and sprinted towards the Hospital Wing as if his life depended on it.

 _I'll be there soon, Hermione_.

* * *

Hermione's throat was raw from her screams and cries. She was holding Ron and Harry's hands as she struggled to stay awake. Every now and then she felt Harry tapping her cheek to keep her awake. They were the only people in the room besides Madam Pomfrey. Everyone else was outside, waiting. Theo had tried to come in and check on her, but the _screams_. They were so loud and heartbreaking. He couldn't handle it, so instead he remained on the floor outside the room.

The three professors outside the room were attempting to find loopholes to the pregnancy simulation spell. McMiggins suggested a Confundus charm to trick Hermione into thinking Draco was there. Dumbledore shot the idea down by saying the charm would have no affect on the spell.

"Well there must be something we can do. Perhaps a-"

"Shh!" Theo cut in.

"Mr. Nott-"

"Be quiet!" he barked. Theo got up from the ground then cocked his head to the side like a dog. He listened, trying to figure out if his ears were deceiving him or not. After a few seconds, he knew that his ears heard correctly. "They're here!" Faint footfalls progressively became louder and clearer.

Everyone turned to the doors of the Hospital Wing to see two figures running towards them. There was a flash of blonde that signaled Draco's presence. Theo sighed in relief. He opened the door to the delivery room and stuck his head in.

All eyes turn to him as he smiled brightly. "He's here. Draco's here."

Draco felt his chest burning as he saw the others in the distance. Blaise was not far behind him. As they were running to the Hospital Wing, Blaise had briefly told Draco about the situation.

 _"'Mione...stuck in labor...needs you there...to have the baby," Blaise panted._

Draco couldn't fathom what Hermione was going through, and it was all because of _him_. It was because of himself that Hermione was suffering. Draco heard Hermione before he even saw her. He pushed himself to run faster. As he neared the room, all thoughts of anything other than Hermione left his mind. That included slowing down, which he failed to do. Instead, he ran right into Theo, knocking both of them to the ground.

"Bloody hell, Drake!" Theo cursed.

Draco scrambled to his feet and ignored Theo completely. He stepped into the delivery room, his eyes landing on Hermione immediately. He sucked in a sharp breath as he saw the scene before him. Hermione was on the hospital bed, exhausted and drenched in sweat. Her body looked frail as she looked at him with half closed eyes. Next to her were Ron and Harry, both of which seemed to be tired as well. Madam Pomfrey was the the end of the bed by Hermione's feet, looking older than usual. In the dim lighting of the room, everyone seemed to age several years.

"Draco," Hermione cried in relief.

His heart broke a million times as he hear her say his name. He made his way to her side. Ron and Harry left the room, closing the door as they left. But before Harry left, he whispered something into Hermione's ear. Whatever he said, it made her smile.

"You look awful," Draco said softly. He looked down at Hermione and grabbed her hand before kissing it.

"You don't look to good either, Malfoy," Hermione shot back, taking in his disheveled form. He almost looked as bad as her. His face was red and hair awry. His clothes were wrinkled and crooked on his body. "Where have you been?"

"I'll tell you later," Draco murmured. "Right now, we need to have a baby."

There were more screams that followed, followed by orders from Madam Pomfrey. Draco did his best to comfort Hermione. He kissed her hands, her face, the top of her head. He whispered soft encouragements and sweet nothings.

"You and me, Granger," he said softly. "We'll be the best damn parents there ever was." Hermione nodded as Draco wiped the tears away from her cheeks. He kissed her lips softly. "I'm sorry for not being here for you," he said. "But I swear I'm here now, and I'm staying. No more disappearances. It'll be you, me, and the baby."

Hermione cried, but not from the pain. She felt her heart swell from Draco's words. "You, me, and the baby," she repeated.

"One more push," Madam Pomfrey said.

Hermione gripped Draco's hand as she pushed one last time. The dark room lit up with a blinding light. Draco shielded his and Hermione's eyes will his hands. Once the light began to dim down, he looked at Madam Pomfrey.

In her arms was a newborn wrapped in pink. Soft, pale pink. Not blue, but _pink_.

"A girl," Hermione breathed. "We have a girl." She cried out in happiness and squeezed Draco's hand.

Madam Pomfrey gave the newborn girl to Hermione. The young witch cried as she held her daughter. The baby quietly fussed. Her face was pinkish and slightly contorted as she tried to adjust to the outside world. Hermione stared down at her daughter in awe. The hours of pain was worth it, she thought. It was all worth it. After a few moments, she realized that Draco had not said anything. She looked up at Draco and found him staring intently at his daughter. He looked at her as if she was a strange creature.

Draco didn't know what to do or say. He couldn't take his eyes off of the small baby in front of him. She looked so innocent. She looked so perfect. He slowly fell to his knees so that he was at eye level with her. Her eyes were still closed though. Still, Draco remained there in front of her, staring. She had brown curls like her mother. Almost cautiously he reached out to touch her. His hand rested on her side.

Her fussing stopped, and Draco's breath caught in his throat. Slowly her eyes opened, revealing grey orbs. It was then when Draco Malfoy knew he was in love.

"I'll do better," he promised in a soft whisper.

 **A/N TADA! Sorry that it took forever to reveal the baby's gender. I stressed over this so much. Originally I planned for a girl then thought about switching to a boy. But after a lot of consideration and helpful advice, I settled for a girl. Her name will be revealed in the next chapter!**

 **As a refresher for everyone else's babies' names: (Going in the order of first born to last)**

 **Theo and Luna: Leo Carson Nott and Winnie Ella Nott  
** **Blaise and Ginny: Sebastian Alessio Zabini  
** **Harry and Pansy: Amara Lilly Potter  
Ron and Lavender: Felix Luke Weasley**

 **First names were decided on by the most voted name. Middle names were decided on by the second most voted name.**

 **Thank you for the support!**

 **A special thanks to Dark-Supernatural-Angel who** **helped me with the chapter.**

 **~KittyKat**


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